^  PRINCETON,  N.  J,  *^ 


Presented  by  cJcArA      (3 .  IPH  (2.V/^V"\  oV< 

BX  8495    .W5  W37  1841 
Watson,  Richard,  1781-1833 
The  life  of  the  Rev.  John 
Wesley,  A.M. 


4?' 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/lifeofrevjohnwes00wats_3 


THE  LIFE 


JUN  9  19U 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY,  A.  M., 


SOMETIME  FELLOW  OF  LINCOLN  COLLEGE,  OXFORD, 


AND  FOUNDER  OF  THE  METHODIST  SOCIETIES. 
V 

BY  RICHARD  WATSON. 


'Ec  Kdrtots  rcpiaaorlpas. 
[IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANTLY.] 


FIRST  AMERICAN  OFFICIAL  EDITION, 

WITH  TRANSLATIONS  AND  NOTES, 
BY  JOHN  EMORY. 


NEW-YORK: 
PUBLISHED  BY  GEORGE  LANE, 
FOR  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  AT  THE  CONFERENCE  OFFICE, 
200  MDLBERRY-STHEET. 


J.  Collord,  Printer. 
1841. 


"Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1831,  by 
J.  Emory  and  B.  Waugli,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court 
of  the  Southern  District  of  New-York." 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Mr.  Wesley's  Parentage — Mrs.  Susanna  Wesley — Sajnuel  Wesley, 
jun. — Mr.  Wesley  at  School  and  College — Religious  Impressions 
and  Inquiries — Ordination — College  Honours—Charles  Wesley's 
early  Life — Methodists  at  Oxford — Origin  of  the  name  Method. 

ist  Pages  7-17 

CHAPTER  IL 

The  Wesloys  at  Oxford — Their  efforts  to  do  good — Opposition — 
Correspondence  with  Mr.  Wesley,  sen. — Mr.  Samuel  Wesley,  and 
Mrs.  Wesley — Mr.  John  Wesley  refuses  to  settle  at  Epworth — 
Remarks — Death  of  jMr.  Wesley,  sen. — The  Wesleys  engage  to 
go  out  to  Georgia — Letter  of  Mr.  Gambold  .  .  .  17-34 
CHAPTER  IIL 

The  Wesleys  on  their  Voyage — Intercourse  with  the  Moravians — 
Conduct,  Troubles,  and  Sufferings  in  Georgia — Affair  of  Miss 
Hopkej — Mr.  Wesley  returns  to  England  .  .  .  34-46 
CHAPTER  IV. 

Mr.  Wesley's  Review  of  his  religious  Experience — Trouble  of  Mind 
— Interview  with  Peter  Bohler — Receives  the  doctrine  of  Justifica. 
tion  by  Faith — Preaches  it — Mr.  Charles  Wesley's  religious  Ex. 

periencc — Remarks   .  46-59 

CHAPTER  V. 

State  of  Religion  in  the  Nation — Mr.  Wesley's  Visit  to  Germany — 
Return  to  England — His  Labours  in  London — Meets  with  Mr. 
Whithefield— Dr.  Woodward's  Societies— Mr.  Charles  Wesley's 
Labours — Field  Preaching — Remarks      ....  59-73 
CHAPTER  VL 

Effect  of  the  Labours  of  the  Messrs.  Wesley  and  Mr.  Whitefield  at 
Kingswood — Mr.  Wesley  at  Bath — Statement  of  his  doctrinal 
Views — Separates  from  the  Moravians  in  London — Formation  of 
the  Methodist  Society — Mr.  Wesley's  .iV[other — Correspondence 
between  Mr.  John  and  Mr.  Samuel  Wesley  on  extraordinary  Emo- 
tions, and  the  Doctrine  of  Assurance — Remarks — Enthusiasm — 
Divine  Influence — Difference  between  Mr.  Wesley  and  Mr.  White- 
field — Their  Reconciliation — Mr.  Maxfield — Mr.  Wesley's  De- 
fence of  his  calling  out  Preachers  to  assist  him  in  his  Work — 

Remarks  7  05 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Persecution  in  London — Institution  of  Classes — Mr.  Wesley  charged 
with  being  a  Papist — His  Labours  in  Yorkshire,  Northumberland, 
and  Lijicolnshirc — Death  of  Mrs.  Susanna  Wesley — Labours  and 


4 


CONTENTS. 


Persecutions  of  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  in  Staffordshire  and  York 
shire — Increase  of  the  Societies — Mr.  Wesley's  Danger  and  Escape 
at  Wednesbuiy — His  first  Visit  to  Cornwall — Riots  in  Stafford, 
shire — Preaches  for  tho  last  time  before  the  University  of  Oxford — 
Correspondence  with  the  Rev.  J.  Erskino — His  Sermon  on  "A 
Catholic  Spirit" — First  Conferenco  held — Remarks  Pages  95-llf 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Mr.  Charles  Wesley's  Labours  in  Cornwall,  Kent,  Staffordshire,  and 
the  north  of  England — Persecution  at  Devizes — Remarks — Mr. 
Wesley  at  Newcastle — Ilis  Statement  of  the  Case  between  the 
Clergy  and  the  Methodists — Remarks — Labours  in  Lincolnshire, 
&c. — Persecutions  in  Cornwall — Count  Zinzondorf — Dr.  Dod 
dridge — Mr.  Wesley  a  Writer  of  Tracts — His  Sentiments  on 
Church  Government — Extract  from  the  Minutes  of  the  early 
Conferences — Remarks — Mr.  Wesley's  Labours  in  ditferent  parts 
of  the  Kingdom — His  zeal  to  diffuse  useful  Knowledge — Mobs  in 
Devonshire — Visits  Ireland — Succeeded  there  by  his  Brother — 
Persecutions  in  Dublin  116-166 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Labours  of  the  Preachers — Doctrinal  Conversations  of  the  Confer 
ences — .Justification — Repentance — Faith — Assurance — Remarks 
— Fruits  of  justifying  Faitli — Sanctification — Witness  of  the 
Spirit — Remarks — Spirit  in  which  Mr.  Wesley  sought  Truth — 
Miscellaneous  Extracts  from  the  Minutes  of  tho  early  Confer- 
ences— Notices  of  the  Deaths  of  Preachers — Remarks  .  167-181 

CHAPTER  X. 

Early  List  of  Circuits — Mr.  Charles  Wesley  in  London — Earthquake 
there — Differences  between  Mr.  Cliarles  Wesley  and  the  Preach, 
ers — Remarks — Respective  Views  of  tho  Brothers — Mr.  Wesley's 
Marriage — Mr.  Perronet — Kingswood  School — Remarks — Mr. 
Wesley  visits  Scotland — Letters — Sickness — Mr.  Whiteficld's 
Letter  to  him  in  Anticipation  of  his  Deatli — Mr.  Wesley's  Re. 
marks  on  Books — His  Address  to  tho  Clergy — Remarks — Her- 
vey's  Letters  181-200 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Methodism  in  America — Revivals  of  Religion — Remarks — Mr.  Wes 
ley's  Labours — Notices  of  Books  from  his  Journals — Minutes  of 
the  Conference  of  1770 — Remarks — Mr.  Shirley's  Circular — Mr. 
Wesley's  "  Declaration" — Controversy  respecting  tlie  Minutes — 
Remarks — Increase  of  the  Societies — Projects  for  the  Management 
of  the  Connection  afler  Mr.  Wesley's  Death        .       .  200-228 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Mr.  Wesley's  Sickness  in  Ireland — Letter  to  tho  Commissioners  of 
Excise — Visit  to  the  Isle  of  Man — Opening  of  City  Road  Chapel — 
"  Arminian  Magazine" — Disputes  in  the  Society  nt  Bath — Mr. 
Wesley's  Letter  to  a  Nobleman — His  Visit  to  Holland — "  Deed 
of  Declaration"— Remarks   228-242 


CONTENTS. 


5 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

State  of  the  Societies  in  America — Ordination  of  Superintendents 
and  Elders  for  the  American  Societies — Remarks — Dr.  Coke — Mr. 
-Asbury — Mr.  Charles  Wesley's  Remonstrances — Ordinations  for 
Scotland — Remarks — Mr.  Wesley's  second  Visit  to  Holland — His 
Labours  in  England,  Ireland,  and  the  Norman  Isles — Return  to 
London — Remarks — Extract  from  a  Sermon  by  Bishop  Copleston 
— Mr.  Wesley's  Reflections  on  the  progress  of  the  Work,  and  on 
entering  his  eighty-fifth  Year  ....  Pages  242-272 
CHAPTER  XIV. 

Death  of  Mr.  Charles  Wesley — His  Character — His  Hymns — Re- 
marks— Mr.  Montgomery's  "  Psalmist" — Anecdote  of  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Wesley,  sen. — Mr.  AVesley's  continued  Labours — Reflec- 
tions  on  entering  his  eighty-eighth  Year — Last  Sickness — Death 
— Funeral — Epitaph — Sketclies  of  his  Character  by  different 
Writers       .........  273-306 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Mr.  Wesley  and  the  Church — Modern  Methodism  and  the  Churcli— 
Charges  refuted — Mr.  Wesley's  Writings — Extent  of  the  Me 
thodist  Societies  at  his  death,  and  at  the  present  tune — Con. 
elusion   306-323 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


Various  Lives  or  Memoirs  of  the  Founder  of  Methodism  have 
already  been  laid  before  the  public.  But  it  has  been  frequently 
remarked  tliat  sucli  of  these  as  contain  the  most  approved  accounts 
of  Mr.  Wesley,  have  been  carried  out  to  a  length  which  obstructs 
their  circulation,  by  the  intermixture  of  details  comparatively  unin 
teresting  beyond  the  immediate  circle  of  Wesleyan  Metliodism.  The 
present  Life,  therefore,  without  any  design  to  supersede  larger  publi- 
cations, has  been  prepared  with  more  special  reference  to  general 
readers.  But,  as  it  is  contracted  within  moderate  limits  cliiefly  by 
the  exclusion  of  extraneous  matter,  it  will,  it  is  hoped,  be  found 
sufficiently  comprehensive  to  give  the  reader  an  adequate  view  of  the 
life,  labours  and  opinions  of  the  eminent  individual  who  is  its  subject ; 
and  to  afford  tlie  means  of  correcting  the  most  material  errors  and 
misrepresentations  wliich  have  had  currency  respecting  him.  On 
several  points  the  author  has  had  the  advantage  of  consulting  unpub. 
lished  papers,  not  known  to  preceding  biograpliers,  and  which  have 
enabled  him  to  place  some  particulars  in  a  more  satisfactory  light. 

London,  May  10,  1831. 


ADVERTISEMENT  TO  THIS  EDITION. 

In  this  edition,  transla  tions  are  given  of  such  passages  in  the  dead 
languages  as  are  lefl  untranslated  in  the  London  edition.  It  is  en- 
larged, too,  and  wo  hope  enriched,  by  a  variety  of  notus,  on  points  of 
peculiar  importance  in  an  American  edition.  The  price,  nevertheless, 
is  so  extremely  low  as  to  bo  justified  solely  by  the  confident  antici. 
pation  of  very  extensive  sales.  The  profits,  if  any,  (as  of  all  other 
publications  from  the  Metliodisl  EpiscopalPress,)  will  bo  scrupulously 
applied  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel,  and  to  strictly  charitable  objects. 


THE  LIFE 


OF 

THE  REV.  JOHN  WESLEY,  A.  M. 


CHAPTER  I. 

John  and  Charles  Wesley,  the  chief  founders  of  that 
religious  body  now  commonly  known  by  the  name  of  the 
Wesleyan  3Iethodists,  were  the  sons  of  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Wesley,  rector  of  Epworth,  in  Lincolnshire. 

Of  this  clergyman,  and  his  wife  Mrs.  Susanna  Weslej", 
who  was  the  daughter  of  tlie  Rev.  Dr.  Annesley,  as  well 
as  of  the  ancestors  of  both,  an  interesting  account  will  be 
found  in  Dr.  Adam  Clarke's  "  Memoirs  of  the  Wesley 
Faniil}-,"  and  in  the  "  Life  of  Mr.  John  Wesley"  by  Dr. 
Whitehead,  and  the  more  recent  one  by  Mr.  Moore.  They 
will  be  noticed  here  only  so  far  aa  a  general  knowledge  of 
their  character  may  be  necessary  to  assist  our  judgment  as 
to  the  opinions  and  conduct  of  their  more  celebrated  sons. 

The  rector  of  Epworth,  like  his  excellent  wife,  had 
descended  from  parents  distinguished  for  learning,  piety, 
and  nonconformity.  His  father  dying  whilst  he  was  young, 
he  forsook  the  Dissenters  at  an  early  period  of  life  ;  and  his 
conversion  carried  him  into  High  Church  principles,  and 
political  toiyism.  He  Avas  not  however  so  rigid  in  the 
former  as  to  prevent  him  from  encouraging  the  early  zeal 
of  his  sons,  John  and  Charles,  at  Oxford,  although  it  was 
even  then  somewhat  iiTegular,  when  tried  by  the  strictest 
ruleo  of  Church  order  and  custom  ;  and  his  toryism,  suffi- 
ciently high  in  theoiy,  was  yet  of  that  class  which  regarded 
the  rights  of  the  subject  tenderly  in  practice.  He  refused 
flattering  overtures  made  by  the  adherents  of  James  H,  to 
induce  him  to  support  the  measures  of  the  court,  and  wrote 
in  favour  of  the  Revolution  of  1688  ;  admiring  it,  probably, 
less  in  a  poUtical  view,  than  as  rescuing  a  Protestant  Church 
from  the  dangerous  influence  of  a  Popish  head.  For  this 
service,  he  was  presented  with  the  living  of  Epworth,  in 
Lincolnshire,  to  which,  a  few  years  afterward,  was  added 
that  of  Wrootc,  in  the  same  county. 


8 


IIFE  OF  THB 


He  held  the  Uving  of  Epworth  upward  of  forty  years, 
and  was  distinguished  for  the  zeal  and  fidehty  with  which 
he  discharged  his  parish  duties.  Of  his  talents  and  learn- 
ing, his  remaining  works  afford  honourable  evidence. 

Mrs.  Susanna  Wesley,  the  mother  of  Mr.  John  Wesley, 
was,  as  might  be  expected  from  the  eminent  character  of 
Dr.  Samuel  Annesley  her  father,  educated  with  great  care. 
Like  her  husband,  she  also,  at  an  early  period  of  life, 
renounced  nonconformity,  and  became  a  member  of  the 
Established  Church,  after,  as  her  biographers  tell  us,  she 
had  read  and  mastered  the  whole  controversy  on  the  sub- 
ject  of  separation  ;  of  M'hich,  however,  great  as  were  her 
natural  and  acquired  talents,  she  must,  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen  years,  have  been  a  very  imperfect  judge.  The  serious 
habits  impressed  upon  both  by  their  education,  did  not  for- 
sake  them  ; — "  they  feared  God,  and  wrought  righteous, 
ness ;"  but  we  may  perhaps  account  for  that  obscurity  in 
the  views  of  each  on  several  great  points  of  evangelical 
religion,  and  especially  on  justification  by  faith,  and  the 
offices  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  hung  over  their  minds  for 
many  years,  and  indeed  till  toward  the  clo^e  of  hfe,  from 
this  early  change  of  their  religious  connections.  Their 
theological  reading,  according  to  the  fashion  of  the  Church 
people  of  that  day,  was  now  directed  rather  to  the  writings 
of  those  divines  of  the  English  Church  who  were  tinctured 
more  or  loss  with  a  Pelagianizcd  Arminianism,  than  to  the 
works  of  its  founders  ;  their  successors,  the  Puritans  ;  or 
of  those  eminent  men  among  the  Nonconformists,  whose 
views  of  discipline  they  had  renounced.  They  had  parted 
with  Calvinism  ;  but,  like  many  others,  they  renounced 
with  it,  for  want  of  spiritual  discrimination,  those  truths 
which  were  as  fully  maintained  in  the  theology  of  Arminius, 
and  in  that  of  their  eminent  son,  who  revived,  and  more 
fully  illustrated  it,  as  in  the  writings  of  the  most  judicious 
and  spiritual  Calvinistic  divines  themselves.  Taylor,  Til- 
lotson,  and  Bull,  who  became  their  oracles,  were  Armi- 
nians  of  a  different  class. 

The  advantage  of  such  a  parentage  to  the  Wesleys  was 
great.  From  their  earliest  years  they  had  an  example  in 
the  father  of  all  that  could  render  a  clergyman  respectable 
and  influential ;  and,  in  the  mother,  there  was  a  sanctified 
wisdom,  a  mascuUnc  understanding,  and  an  acquired 


BEV.  JOHN  WBSMY. 


9 


knowledge,  which  they  regarded  with  just  deference  after 
they  became  men  and  scholars.  The  influence  of  a  piety 
so  steadfast  and  uniform,  joined  to  such  quaUties,  and 
softened  by  maternal  tenderness,  could  scarcely  fail  to 
produce  effect.  The  firm  and  manly  character,  the  prac- 
tical sense,  the  active  and  unwearied  habits  of  the  father, 
with  the  calm,  reflecting,  and  stable  qualities  of  the  mother, 
were  in  particular  inherited  by  Mr.  Jolin  Wesley ;  and  in 
him  M  ere  most  happily  blended.  A  large  portion  of  the 
ecclesiastical  principles  and  prejudices  of  the  rector  of 
Epworth  was  also  transmitted  to  his  three  sons  ;  but  whilst 
Samuel  and  Charles  retained  them  least  impaired,  in  John, 
as  we  shall  see,  they  sustained  in  future  hfe  considerable 
modifications. 

Samuel,  the  eldest  son,  was  born  in  1692 ;  John,  in 
1703  ;  and  Charles,  in  1708. 

Samuel  Wesley,  junior,  was  educated  at  Westminster 
school ;  and  in  1711  was  elected  to  Christ  Church,  Oxford. 
He  was  eminent  for  his  learning,  and  Avas  an  excellent 
poet,  with  great  power  of  satire,  and  an  elegant  wit.  He 
held  a  considerable  rank  among  the  hterary  men  of  the 
day,  and  finally  settled  as  head  master  of  the  free  school 
of  Tiverton,  in  Devonshire,  where  he  died  in  1739,  in  his 
fort3'-ninth  year. 

Mrs.  Wesley  was  the  instructress  of  her  children  in  their 
early  years.  "  I  can  find,"  says  Dr.  Whitehead,  "  no  evidence 
that  the  boys  were  ever  put  to  any  school  in  the  country  ; 
their  mother  having  a  veiy  bad  opinion  of  the  common" 
methods  of  instructing  and  governing  children."  She  Avas 
particularly  led,  it  would  seem,  to  interest  herself  in  John, 
who,  when  he  was  about  six  years  old,  had  a  providential 
and  singular  escape  from  being  burned  to  death,  upon  the 
parsonage  house  being  consumed.*  There  is  a  striking 
passage  in  one  of  her  private  meditatioiis,  which  contains 
a  reference  to  this  event ;  and  indicates  that  she  considered 
it  as  laying  her  under  a  special  obligation  "  to  be  more 
particularly  careful  of  the  soul  of  a  child  whom  God  had  so 
mercifully  provided  for."    The  effect  of  this  special  care 

*  The  memory  of  his  deliverance,  on  this  occasion,  is  preserved  in 
one  of  his  early  portraits,  which  lias,  below  the  head,  the  represent- 
ation of  a  Iiousoin  flames,  with  the  motto,  "Is  nottliis  a  brand  plucked 
from  tho  burning  ?" 


10 


IIPE  OP  THE 


on  the  part  of  the  mother  was,  that,  under  the  Divine  bless- 
ing, he  became  early  serious  ;  for  at  the  age  of  eight  years 
he  was  admitted  by  his  father  to  partake  of  the  sacrament. 
In  1714,  he  was  placed  at  the  Charter  house,  "where  he 
was  noticed  for  his  diligence,  and  progress  in  learning." 
(Wliitehead's  Life.)  "  Here,  for  his  quietness,  regularity, 
and  apphcation,  he  became  a  favourite  with  the  master. 
Dr.  Walker ;  and  through  life  he  retained  so  great  a  pre- 
dilection for  the  place,  that  on  his  annual  visit  to  London, 
he  made  it  a  custom  to  walk  through  the  scene  of  his  boy- 
hood. To  most  men,  every  year  would  render  a  pilgrimage 
of  this  kind  more  painful  than  the  last ;  but  Wesley  seems 
never  to  have  looked  back  with  melancholy  upon  the  days 
that  were  gone  ;  earthly  regrets  of  this  kind  could  find  no 
room  in  one  who  was  continually  pressing  onwiird  to  the 
goal."  {Southey^s  Life.)  When  he  had  attained  his  seven, 
teenth  year,  he  was  elected  to  Christ  Church,  Oxford, 
"where  he  pursued  his  studies  with  great  advantage,  I 
believe  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Wigan,  a  gentleman 
eminent  for  his  classical  knowledge.  Mr.  Wesley's  natural 
temper  in  his  youth  was  gay  and  sprightly,  with  a  turn  for 
wit  and  humour.  When  he  Avas  about  twenty-one  ycaris 
of  age,  'he  appeared,'  as  Mr.  Babcock  has  observed,  'the 
very  sensible  and  acute  collegian  ;  a  young  fellow  of  the 
finest  classical  taste,  of  the  most  liberal  and  manly  senti- 
ment«.'  {Westminster  Magazine.)  His  perfect  knowledge 
of  the  classics  gave  a  smooth  polish  to  his  wit,  and  an 
air  of  superior  elegance  to  all  his  compositions.  He  had 
already  begun  to  amuse  himself  occasionally  with  writing 
verses,  though  most  of  his  poetical  pieces,  at  this  period, 
were,  I  believe,  either  imitations  or  translations  of  the  Latin. 
Some  time  in  this  year,  however,  he  wrote  an  imitation  of 
the  sixty-fifth  Psalm,  which  he  sent  to  his  father,  who  says, 
'  I  like  your  verses  on  the  sixty-fifth  Psahn  ;  and  would  not 
have  you  bury  your  talent.'"  {Whitehead's  Life.) 

Some  time  after  this,  when  purposing  to  take  deacon's 
orders,  he  was  roused  from  the  religious  carelessness  into 
which  he  had  fallen  at  college,  and  applied  himself  dili- 
gently to  the  reading  of  divinity.  This  more  thoughtful 
frame  appears  to  have  been  indicated  in  his  letters  to  his 
mother,  with  whom  he  kept  up  a  regidar  correspondence ; 
for  she  repUes,  "  The  alteration  of  your  temper  has  occa 


BEV.  JOHN  WESlET. 


11 


sioned  me  much  speculation.  I,  who  am  apt  to  be  san- 
guine, hope  it  may  proceed  from  the  operations  of  God'3 
Holy  Spirit,  that,  by  taking  off  your  relish  for  earthly 
enjoyments,  he  may  prepare  and  dispose  your  mind  for  a 
more  serious  and  close  application  to  things  of  a  more 
sublime  and  spiritual  nature.  If  it  be  so,  happy  are  you 
if  you  cherish  those  dispositions ;  and  now,  in  good  earn- 
est, resolve  to  make  religion  the  business  of  your  life ; 
for,  after  all,  that  is  the  one  thing  which,  strictly  speaking, 
is  necessary  :  all  things  beside  are  comparatively  little  to 
the  purposes  of  life.  I  heartily  wish  you  would  now  enter 
upon  a  strict  examination  of  yourself,  that  you  may  know, 
whether  you  have  a  reasonable  hope  of  salvation  by  Jesua 
Christ.  If  you  have,  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  it  will 
abundantly  reward  your  pains ;  if  you  have  not,  you  will 
find  a  more  reasonable  occasion  for  tears  than  can  be  met 
with  in  a  tragedy.  This  matter  deserves  great  considci-a- 
tion  by  all,  but  especially  by  those  designed  for  the  minis- 
tiy ;  who  ought,  above  all  things,  to  make  their  own  calling 
and  election  sure  ;  iest,  after  they  have  preached  to  others, 
they  themselves  should  be  cast  away." 

This  excellent  advice  was  not  lost  upon  him ;  and  indeed 
his  mother's  admirable  letters  were  among  the  principal 
means,  under  God,  of  producing  that  still  more  decided 
change  in  his  views  which  soon  afterward  began  to  dis- 
play itself.    He  was  now  about  twenty-two  years  of  age. 

The  pi'actical  books  most  read  by  him  at  this  period, 
which  was  probably  employed  as  a  course  of  preparation 
for  holy  orders,  were,  "  The  Christian's  Pattern,"  by 
Thomas  a  Kcmpis  ;  and  Bishop  Taylor's  "  llulos  of  Holy 
Living  and  Dying ;"  and  his  correspondence  with  his 
parents  respecting  these  authors  shows  how  carefully  he 
was  weighing  their  merits,  and  investigating  their  mean- 
ing, as  regarding  thcni  in  the  light  of  spiritual  instructors. 
The  letters  of  his  mother  on  tlie  points  offered  to  her  con- 
sideration by  her  son,  show,  in  many  respects,  a  deeply 
thinking  and  discriminating  mind ;  but  they  are  also  in  proof 
that  both  she  and  her  husband  had  given  up  their  acquaint- 
ance, if  they  ever  had  any,  with  works  which  might  have 
boon  recommended  as  much  more  suitable  to  the  state 
of  their  son's  mind,  and  far  superior  as  a  directory  to 
true  Christianity.    This  to  hi.D  w  >uld  have  been  infinitely 


12 


LIFX!  OF  TBS 


more  important  than  discussing  the  peculiar  views,  and 
adjusting  the  proportion  of  excellency  and  defect,  which 
may  be  found  in  such  a  writer  as  Kempis,  whose  "  Chris- 
tian's  Pattern"  is,  where  in  I'eality  excellent,  a  manual 
rather  for  him  who  is  a  Christian  already,  than  for  him  who 
is  seeking  to  become  one. 

A  few  things  are  however  to  be  remarked  in  this  cor- 
respondence  which  are  of  considerable  interest,  as  showing 
the  bearings  of  Mr.  Wesley's  vicM  S  as  to  those  truths  of 
which  he  afterward  obtained  a  satisfactoiy  conviction,  and 
then  so  clearly  stated  and  defended. 

The  son,  in  writing  to  his  mother  on  Bishop  Taylor's 
book,  states  several  particulars  which  Bishop  Taylor  makes 
necessary  parts  of  humility  and  repentance  ;  one  of  which, 
in  reference  to  humility,  is,  that  "  we  must  be  sure,  in  some 
sense  or  other,  to  think  ourselves  the  worst  in  every  com- 
puny  where  we  come."  And  in  treating  of  repentance,  ho 
says,  "  Whether  God  has  forgiven  us,  or  no,  Ave  know  not ; 
therefore  be  sorrowful  for  ever  having  sinned."  "  I  take 
the  more  notice  of  this  last  sentence,"  says  Mr.  Wesley, 
"  bccaure  it  seems  to  contradict  his  own  Avords  in  the  next 
section,  where  he  says,  that  by  the  Lord's  Supper  all  the 
members  arc  united  to  one  another,  and  to  Christ,  the 
head.  The  Holy  Ghost  confers  on  us  the  graces  neces- 
sary for,  and  our  souls  receive  the  seeds  of,  an  immortal 
nature.  Now,  surely,  thcae  graces  are  not  of  so  little 
force  as  that  we  cannot  perceive  whether  we  have  them 
or  not :  if  we  dwell  in  Christ,  and  Christ  in  us,  which  he 
will  not  do  unless  we  are  regenerate,  certainly  we  must  be 
sensible  of  it.  If  we  can  never  have  any  certainty  of  our 
being  in  a  state  of  salvation,  good  reason  it  is  that  every 
moment  sliould  be  spent,  not  in  joy,  but  in  fear  and  trem- 
bling ;  and  tlien  undoubtedly,  in  this  life,  avc  are  of  all  men 
most  miserable.  God  deliver  us  from  such  a  fearful  ex 
pectation  as  this !  Humility  is,  undoubtedly,  necessary  to 
salvation  ;  and  if  all  these  things  are  essential  to  humility, 
who  can  bo  humble  ?  who  can  be  saved  ?" 

The  mother,  in  reply,  suggests  to  him  some  good  thoughts 
and  useful  distinctions  on  the  subject  of  humility ;  but 
omits  to  afford  him  any  assistance  on  the  point  of  the  pos- 
sibility of  obtaining  a  comfortable  persuasion  of  being  in  a 
state  of  salvation,  through  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit ; 


EEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


13 


which  he  already  discerned  to  be  the  privilege  of  a  real 
believer,  though  as  yet  he  was  greatly  perplexed  as  to  the 
means  of  attaining  it.  At  this  period  too  he  makes  the 
important  distinction  between  assurance  of  present,  and 
assurance  of  future,  salvation  ;  by  confounding  which,  so 
many,  from  their  objection  to  the  Cahinistic  notion  of  tho 
infallible  perseverance  of  the  saints,  have  given  up  the  doc- 
trine of  assurance  altogether.  "  That  we  can  never  be 
so  certain  of  the  pardon  of  our  sins,  as  to  be  assured  they 
will  never  rise  up  against  us,  I  fii-mly  believe.  We  know 
that  they  will  infallibly  do  so  if  ever  we  apostatize  ;  and  I 
am  not  satisfied  what  evidence  there  can  be  of  our  final 
perseverance,  till  we  have  finished  our  course.  But  I  am 
persuaded  we  may  know  if  we  are  now  in  a  state  of  sal- 
vation, since  that  is  expressly  promised  in  the  Holy  Scrip, 
tares  to  our  sincere  endeavours ;  and  we  are  surely  able 
to  judge  of  our  own  sincerity." 

The  latter  part  of  this  extract  will,  however,  show  how 
much  he  had  yet  to  learn  as  to  "  the  way  to  the  Father." 
Mrs.  Wesley  also  corrects  a  defective  definition  of  faith, 
which  her  son's  letter  had  contained,  in  the  following 
sensible  remarks ;  which  are  just,  as  far  as  they  go,  but 
bolow  the  tnie  Scriptural  standard,  and  the  proper  concep- 
tion  of  that  saving  faith  after  which  her  son  was  inquiring: 
"You  are  somewhat  mistaken  in  your  notions  of  faith. 
All  f-iith  is  an  assent,  but  all  assent  is  not  faith.  Some 
truths  are  self-evident,  and  we  assent  to  them  because 
they  are  so.  Others,  after  a  regular  and  formal  process 
of  reason  by  way  of  deduction  from  some  self-evident 
principle,  gain  our  assent.  This  is  not  properly  faith,  but 
science.  Some  again  we  assent  to,  not  because  they  are 
self-evident,  or  because  wo  have  attained  the  knowledge 
of  them  in  a  regular  method  by  a  train  of  argmnents,  but 
because  tlicy  have  been  revealed  (o  us,  either  by  God  or 
man  ;  and  these  are  the  proper  objects  of  faith.  The  true 
measure  of  faith  is  the  authority  of  the  revealer ;  the  weight 
of  which  alwaj's  holds  proportion  to  our  conviction  of  his 
abilit>-and  integrity.  Divine  faith  is  an  assent  to  whatever 
God  has  revealed  to  us,  b;causc  he  has  revealed  it." 

Predestination  Avas  another  subject  touched  upon  in  this 
interesting  corrcHpoudcn-ce.  Mr.  Wesley  was  probably  led 
to  it  by  his  review  of  the  Articles  of  the  Church  previous 


14 


MPE  OF  THE 


to  his  ordination ;  and  he  thus  expresses  himself  on  this 
controverted  subject :  "  What  then  shall  I  say  of  predesti- 
nation ?  An  everlasting  purpose  of  God  to  deliver  some 
from  damnation,  does,  I  suppose,  exclude  all  from  that 
deliverance  who  are  not  chosen.  And  if  it  was  inevitably 
decreed  from  eternity,  that  such  a  determinate  part  of  man- 
kind should  be  saved,  and  none  beside  them,  a  vast  ma- 
jority of  the  world  were  only  born  to  eternal  death,  without 
so  much  as  a  possibility  of  avoiding  it.  How  is  this  con- 
sistent with  either  the  Divine  justice  or  mercy  ?  Is  it  merci- 
fill  to  ordain  a  creature  to  everlasting  misery?  Is  it  just  to 
punish  a  man  for  crimes  which  he  could  not  but  commit? 
That  God  sliould  be  the  author  of  sin  and  injustice,  which 
must,  I  think,  be  the  consequence  of  maintaining  this 
opinion,  is  a  contracUction  to  the  clearest  ideas  we  have  of 
the  Divine  nature  and  perfections."  (Whitehead'' s  Life.) 

From  these  views  he  never  departed  ;  and  the  terms  he 
uses  contain  indeed  the  only  lational  statement  of  the 
whole  question. 

He  was  ordained  deacon  in  September,  1725,  and  the 
year  following  was  elected  fellow  of  Lincoln  College.  His 
previous  seriousness  had  been  the  subject  of  much  banter 
and  ridicule,  and  appears  to  have  been  urged  against  him, 
in  the  election,  by  his  opponents ;  but  his  reputation  for 
learning  and  diligence,  and  the  excellence  of  his  character, 
triumphed ;  and,  what  was  probably  lo  him  the  greatest 
pleasure,  he  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  the  joy  this  event 
gave  to  his  venerable  parents,  and  which  was  emphatically 
expressed  in  their  letters.  Several  specimens  of  his  poetry, 
composed  about  this  time,  are  given  by  his  biographers, 
which  show  that,  had  he  cultivated  that  department  of 
literature,  he  would  not  have  occupied  an  inferior  place 
among  the  tasteful  and  elegant  votaries  of  verse :  but  ho 
soon  found  more  serious  and  more  useful  employment. 

He  spent  the  summer  after  his  election  to  the  fellowship 
with  his  parents,  in  Lincolnshire,  and  took  that  opportunity 
of  conversing  Avith  them  at  large  upon  those  serious  topics 
which  then  tlilly  occupied  his  mind.  In  September,  he 
returned  to  Oxford,  and  resumed  his  usual  studies,  "  His 
literary  character  was  now  established  in  the  university; 
he  was  acknowledged  by  all  parties  to  be  a  man  of  talents, 
and  an  excellent  critic  in  the  learned  languages.  Hia 


KEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


15 


compositions  were  distinguished  by  an  elegant  simplicity 
of  style,  and  justness  of  thought,  that  strongly  marked  the 
excellence  of  his  classical  taste.  His  skill  in  logic,  or  the 
art  of  reasoning,  was  universally  known  and  admired.  The 
high  opinion  that  was  entertained  of  him  in  these  respects 
was  soon  publicly  expressed,  by  choosing  him  Greek  lec- 
turer, and  moderator  of  the  classes,  on  the  seventh  of  No- 
vember ;  though  he  had  only  been  elected  fellow  of  the 
college  in  March,  was  Utile  more  than  twenty-three  years 
of  age,  and  had  not  proceeded  master  of  arts."  {White- 
head's Life.)  He  took  this  degree  in  February,  1727 ; 
became  his  father's  curate  in  August  the  same  year ;  re- 
turned to  Oxford  in  1728,  to  obtain  priest's  orders ;  and 
paid  another  visit  to  Oxford  in  1729 ;  where,  during  his 
stay,  he  attended  the  meetings  of  a  small  society  formed 
by  his  brother  Charles,  Mr.  Morgan,  and  a  few  others,  to 
assist  each  other  in  their  studies,  and  to  consult  how  to 
employ  their  time  to  the  best  advantage. 

After  about  a  month,  he  returned  to  Epworth ;  but 
upon  Dr.  Morley,  the  rector  of  his  college,  requiring  his 
residence,  he  quitted  his  father's  curacy,  and  in  November 
again  settled  in  Oxford.  He  now  obtained  pupils,  and 
became  tutor  in  tho  college  ;  presided  as  moderator  in  the 
disputations  six  times  a  Aveck  ;  and  had  the  chief  directiois 
of  a  religious  society.  From  this  time  he  stood  more 
prominently  forward  in  his  religious  character,  and  in 
efforts  to  do  good  to  others ;  and  began  more  fully  to 
prove  that  "  they  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus, 
must  suffer  persecution."  It  is  however  necessary  to  turn 
to  the  history  of  Mr.  Charles  Wesley,  whose  labours  in 
the  early  periods  of  Methodism  were  inferior  only  to  those 
of  his  brother. 

Charles  Wesley  was,  as  above  stated,  five  years  younger 
than  his  brother  John  ;  and  was  educated  at  Westminster 
school,  under  his  eldest  brother,  Sanmel,  from  whom  he 
is  said  to  have  derived  a  still  stronger  tincture  of  High 
Church  principles  than  was  imbibed  under  the  paternal 
roof.  "  When  he  had  been  some  years  at  school,  Mr.  R. 
Wesley,  a  gentleman  of  large  fortune  in  Ireland,  wrote  to 
his  father,  and  asked  if  he  had  any  son  named  Charles ; 
if  so,  he  would  make  him  his  heir.  Accordingly,  a  gentle, 
man  in  London  brought  money  for  his  education  several 


16 


tlFE  OP  THE 


years.  But  one  year  another  gentleman  called,  probably 
Mr.  Wesley  himself,  talked  largely  with  him,  and  asked  if 
he  was  willing  to  go  with  him  to  Ireland.  Mr.  Charles 
desired  to  write  to  his  father,  who  answered  immediately, 
and  referred  it  to  his  own  choice.  He  chose  to  stay  in 
England."  {Whitehead's  Life,  vol.  i,  p.  98.)  "Mr.  John 
Wesley,  in  his  account  of  his  brother,  calls  this  a  fair  es- 
cape.  The  fact  is  more  remarkable  than  he  was  aware 
of ;  for  the  person  who  inherited  the  property  intended  for 
Charles  Wesley,  and  who  took  the  name  of  Wesley,  or 
Wellesley,  in  consequence,  was  the  first  Earl  of  Morning, 
ton,  grandfather  of  Marquis  Wellesley  and  the  Duke  of 
Wellington."  {Southey's  Life.) 

The  lively  disposition  of  Charles,  although  he  pursued 
his  studies  diUgcntly,  and  was  unblamable  in  his  conduct, 
repelled  all  those  exhortations  to  a  more  strictly  religious 
course  which  John  seriously  urged  upon  him,  after  he  was 
elected  to  Christ  Church.  During  his  brother's  absence, 
as  his  father's  curate,  his  letters,  however,  became  more 
grave ;  and  when  Mr.  John  Wesley  returned  to  Oxford, 
in  November,  1729,  "  I  found  him,"  he  observes,  "in  great 
earnestness  to  save  his  soul."  His  own  account  of  him- 
self is,  that  he  lost  his  first  year  at  college  in  diversions ; 
that  the  next,  he  set  himself  to  study ;  that  diligence  led 
him  into  serious  thinking ;  that  ho  went  to  the  weekly 
saci'ament,  persuading  two  or  three  students  to  accompany 
him  ;  and  that  he  observed  the  method  of  study  prescribed 
by  the  statutes  of  the  university.  "  This,"  says  he,  "  gained 
me  the  harmless  name  of  Methodist."*    Thus  it  appears 

*  From  the  name  of  an  ancient  sect  of  physicians,  say  some  of 
Mr.  Wesley's  hiographers ;  but  probably  the  wits  of  Oxford,  who 
imposed  the  name,  knew  nothing  of  that  sect  of  the  middle  ages. 
The  Nonconformists  were  often  called,  in  derision,  Methodists ; 
and  the  name  was  probably  transmitted  from  thom  ;  or  it  might  bo 
given  merely  from  the  rigid  adherence  to  method  in  study  by  Mr. 
Charles  Wesley.  It  is,  however,  somewhat  worthy  of  notice,  that 
before  the  times  of  Nonconformity,  properly  so  called,  we  find  Me- 
thodists  mentioned  as  one  of  the  minor  sects  in  conjunction  with 
tho  Anabaptists;  for,  as  early  as  1G39,  in  a  sermon  preached  at 
Lambeth,  they  are  rated  in  good  set  style  for  their  aversion  to  rhc 
torical  sermons  : — "  Where  are  now  our  Anabaptists  and  plain  pack 
staff  Methodists,  who  esteem  of  all  flowers  of  rhetoric  in  sermons 
no  better  than  stinking  weeds,  and  of  all  elegancies  of  sp3ccli  no 
better  than  profane  spells  ?"  &c.    Their  fault  in  those  da3-s,  it  ap 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


17 


that  Charles  was  the  first  modern  Methodist,  and  that  he 
in  fact  laid  the  foundations  of  the  religious  society  which 
continues  to  be  distinguished  by  that  appellation.  To  this 
society  Mr.  John  Wesley  joined  himself  on  his  return  to 
reside  at  Oxford ;  and  by  his  influence  and  energy  gave 
additional  vigour  to  their  exertions  to  promote  their  own 
spiritual  improvement,  and  the  good  of  others.  The  union 
of  system  and  efficiency  Avhich  this  association  presented 
well  accorded  with  his  practical  and  governing  mind  ;  and, 
no  doubt,  under  the  leadings  of  a  superior  agency,  of  which 
he  was  unconscious,  he  was  thus  training  himself  to  those 
habits  of  regular  and  influential  exertion  and  enterprize 
which  subsequently  rendered  him  the  instrument  of  a  re- 
vival of  reUgion  throughout  the  land.  Of  the  little  society 
of  which,  by  the  mere  force  of  his  character,  he  thus  be- 
came the  head,  Mr.  Hervey,  the  author  of  the  "  Medita- 
tions," and  the  celebrated  Whitefield,  were  members 


CHAPTER  II. 
The  strictly  religious  profession  which  Mr.  Wesley  must 
now  be  considered  as  making  at  Oxford, — a  profession  so 
strongly  marked  as  to  become  matter  of  pubUc  notice,  and 
accompanied  with  so  much  zeal  as  to  excite  both  ridicule 
and  opposition,  requires  to  be  carefully  examined.  After 
all,  he  thought  himself  to  be  but  "  almost,"  and  not  "  alto- 
gether,"  a  Christian, — a  conclusion  of  a  very  perplexing 
kind  to  many  Avho  have  set  up  themselves  for  better  judges 
in  his  case,  than  he  himself.  From  a  similar  cause,  we 
have  seen  St.  Paul  all  but  reproved  by  some  divines  for 
representing  himself  "  as  the  chief  of  sinners,"  at  the  time 
when  he  was  "  blameless"  as  to  "  the  righteousness  of  the 

pears,  was  to  prefer  plain  preaching ;  no  I>ad  compliment,  though 
an  undesigned  one.  The  epithet  used  to  dcsnribo  them  may  also 
intimate  that  they  were  plain  in  dross  and  manners.  At  a  later  pe- 
riod, 1693,  some  of  tho  Nonconformists  who  had  renounced  tho 
imputation  of  Christ's  righteousness  in  justification,  except  in  tho 
merit  of  it,  and  whose  views  wore  somewhat  similar  to  those  of  tho 
Wcsleyan  Methodists  on  the  unputation  of  faith  for  righteousrcss, 
wero  called  by  tlieir  brethren,  tho  New  Methodists.  They  were  not 
liowcver  a  sect,  but  wero  so  denoniiuatcd  from  the  new  meUiod 
which  they  took  in  stating  the  doctrine  of  justification.  Thus  we 
have  a  Calviuistic  pamphlet,  undi-r  this  date,  written  against  "  the 
principles  of  the  New  MetliudUts  in  tlio  great  point  of  justification." 


18 


LIFE  OF  THE 


law ;"  and,  but  for  the  courtesy  due  to  an  inspired  man,  he 
would,  probably,  in  direct  contiadiction  to  his  own  words, 
have  been  pronounced  the  chief  of  saints ;  although  his 
heart  remained  a  total  stranger  to  humility  and  charity. 

The  Wesleys  at  Oxford  were  indeed  not  only  in  a  higlier 
but  in  an  essentially  different  state  of  religious  experience 
from  that  of  Saul  of  Tarsus,  notwithstanding  his  array  of 
legal  zeal  and  external  virtue  ;  but  if  our  views  of  personal 
religion  must  be  taken  fi-om  the  New  Testament,  although 
as  to  men  they  were  blameless  and  exemplary,  yet,  in 
respect  to  God,  those  internal  changes  had  not  taken  place 
in  them  which  it  is  the  office  of  real  Christianity  to  effect. 
They  were,  however,  most  sincere ;  they  were  "  faithful 
in  that  which  is  little,"  and  God  gave  them  "  the  true 
riches."  They  "  sought  God  with  all  their  heart and 
they  ultimately  found  him,  but  in  a  way  which  at  that  time 
"  they  knew  not."  The  very  writers.  Bishop  Taylor  and 
Mr.  Law,  who  so  powerfully  wrought  upon  their  con- 
sciences, were  among  the  most  erring  guides  to  that 
"  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding,"  for 
which  they  sighed  ;  and  those  celebrated  divines,  excelled 
by  none  for  genius  and  eloquence,  who  could  draw  the 
picture  of  a  pnictical  piety  so  copious  and  exact  in  its 
external  manifestations,  were  unable  to  teach  that  mystic 
connection  of  the  branches  with  the  vine,  from  which  the 
only  fruits  which  are  of  healthy  growth  and  genuine  flavour 
can  proceed.  Both  are  too  defective  in  their  views  of  faith, 
and  of  its  object,  the  atonement  of  Christ,  to  be  able  to 
direct  a  penitent  and  troubled  spirit  into  the  way  of  salva- 
tion, and  to  show  how  all  the  principles  and  acts  of  traly 
Christian  piety  are  sustained  by  a  life  of  "faith  in  the  Son  of 
God."  To  this  subject,  however,  Mr.  Wesley's  own  account 
of  himself  will,  subsequently,  again  call  our  attention. 

Bishop  Taylor's  chapter  on  purity  of  intention  first  con- 
vinccd  Mr.  Wesley  of  the  necessity  of  being  holy  in  heart, 
as  well  as  regular  in  his  outward  conduct ;  and  having, 
for  the  first  time,  formed  an  acquaintance  Avith  a  rehgious 
friend,  "  he  began  to  alter  the  Avhole  form  of  his  conversa- 
tion, and  to  set  in  earnest  upon  a  new  life."  "  He  com- 
municated  every  week.  He  watched  against  all  sin, 
whether  in  word  or  deed,  and  began  to  aim  at,  and  pray 
for,  inward  hoUness;"  (Journal;)  but  still  with  a  painful 


EEV.  JOHN  ^VESlEV. 


19 


congciousness  that  he  found  not  that  which  he  so  earnestly 
sought.  His  error,  at  this  period,  was  drawn  from  his 
theological  guides  just  mentioned ;  he  either  confounded 
sanctification  with  justification,  that  is,  a  real  with  a  rela- 
tive change,  or  he  regarded  sanctification  as  a  preparation 
for,  and  a  condition  of,  justification.  He  had  not  yet 
learned  the  apostle's  doctrine,  the  gratuitous  justification 
of  "  the  ungodly,"  when  penitent,  and  upon  the  sole  con- 
dition  of  beUeving  in  Christ ;  nor  that  upon  this  there /oZ- 
lows  a  "  death"  unto  all  inward  and  outward  sin  ;  so  that 
he  who  is  so  justified  can  "  no  longer  continue  therein." 
It  is,  however,  deeply  interesting,  to  trace  the  pi-ogress  of 
his  mind  through  its  agitations,  inquiries,  hopes,  and  fears, 
until  the  moment  when  he  found  that  steadfast  peace  which 
never  afterward  forsook  him,  but  gave  serenity  to  his  coun- 
tenance, and  cheerfulness  to  his  heart,  to  the  last  hour  of 
a  prolonged  life. 

The  effects  of  the  strong  impression  which  had  been 
made  upon  him  by  the  practical  Avritings  of  Taylor  and 
LaM-  promptly  manifested  themselves.  The  cUscipline  he 
maintained  as  a  tutor  over  his  pupils  was  more  strict  than 
the  university  had  been  accustomed  to  witness ;  and  for 
this  reason,  that  it  was  more  deeply  and  comprehensively 
conscientious.  He  regarded  himself  as  responsible  to 
God  for  exerting  himsell"  to  his  utmost,  not  only  to  pro- 
mote their  learning,  but  to  regulate  their  moral  habits,  and 
to  form  their  religious  principles.  Here  his  disciplinary 
habits  had  their  first  manifestation.  He  required  them  to 
rise  very  early;  he'directcd  their  reading,  and  controlled 
their  general  conduct,  by  nalcs  to  Avhich  he  exacted  entire 
obedience.  This  was  not  well  taken  by  the  friends  of  some ; 
but  from  othera  he  received  very  grateful  letters ;  and 
several  of  his  pupils  themselves  were  not  insensible  of  the 
obligations  they  owed  to  him,  not  only  on  a  religious 
account,  but  for  thus  enabUng  them  to  reap  the  full  ad- 
vantages of  that  seat  of  learning,  by  restraining  them  from 
its  dissipations. 

The  little  society  of  Methodists,  as  they  were  called, 
began  now  to  extend  its  operations.  When  Mr.  Wesley 
joined  them,  they  committed  its  management  to  him,  and 
he  has  liimsclf  stated  its  original  members  : — 

In  November,  1729,  four  youQT  gentlemen  of  Oxford, 


20 


LIFE  OP  THE 


Mr.  John  Wesley,  fellow  of  Lincoln  College ;  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley,  student  of  Christ  Church ;  Mr.  Morgan,  com- 
moner  of  Christ  Church ;  and  Mr.  Kirkman,  of  Merton 
College,  began  to  spend  some  evenings  in  a  week  together, 
in  reading  chiefly  the  Greek  Testament.  The  next  year, 
two  or  three  of  Mr.  John  Wesley's  pupils  desired  the 
liberty  of  meeting  with  them  ;  and  afterward  one  of  Mr. 
Charles  Wesley's  pupils.  It  was  in  1732  that  Mr.  Ing- 
ham,  of  Queen's  College,  and  Mr.  Broughton,  of  Exeter, 
were  added  to  their  number.  To  these,  in  April,  was 
joined  Mr.  Clayton,  of  Brazen-nose,  with  two  or  three  of 
his  pupils.  About  the  same  time  Mr.  James  Hervey  was 
poriiiittcd  to  meet  with  them,  and  afterward  Mr.  White- 
field."  (Journal.) 

Mr.  Morgan  led  the  way  to  their  visiting  the  prisoners 
in  the  Oxford  gaol,  for  the  purpose  of  affording  them  reli 
gious  instruction.  They  afterward  resolved  to  spend  two 
or  three  hours  a  week  in  visiting  and  relieving  the  poor 
and  the  sick,  generally,  where  the  parish  ministers  did  not 
object  to  it.  This  was,  however,  so  novel  a  practice,  and 
might  be  deemed  by  some  so  contrary  to  Church  order, 
that  Mr.  Wesley  consulted  his  father  upon  the  point.  Mr. 
Weslej^,  senior,  answered  the  inquiry  in  a  noble  letter, 
equally  honourable  to  his  feelings  as  a  father,  and  a  minis, 
ter  of  Christ.  They  had  his  full  sanction  for  prosecuting 
their  pious  labours ;  he  blessed  God  who  had  given  him 
two  sons  together  at  Oxford,  who  had  received  grace  and 
courage  to  turn  the  war  against  the  world  and  the  devil ;  he 
bids  them  defy  reproach,  and  animates'them  in  God's  name 
to  go  on  in  the  path  to  which  their  Saviour  had  directed 
them.  At  the  same  time,  he  advises  them  to  consult  with 
the  chaplain  of  the  prison,  and  to  obtain  the  approbation 
of  the  bishop.  This  high  sanction  Avas  obtained  ;  but  it 
was  not  sufficient  to  screen  them  from  the  rebukes  of  the 
gravely  lukewarm,  or  the  malignantly  vicious.  Sarcasm 
and  serious  opposition  robbed  them  of  one  of  their  num- 
ber, who  had  not  fortitude  to  bear  the  shafts  of  ridicule, 
or  to  resist  the  persuasion  of  friends  ;  and  the  opposition 
being  now  headed  by  some  persons  of  influence,  Mr.  Wes- 
ley  had  again  recourse,  by  letter,  to  bis  father's  counseL 
Tiici  nnswcr  deserves  to  be  transcribed  at  length  : — 

"  This  day  I  I'eccivcd  both  yours,  and  this  evening,  in 


HEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


21 


the  course  of  our  reading,  I  thought  I  found  an  answer  that 
would  be  more  proper,  tlian  any  I  myself  could  dictate  ; 
though  since  it  will  not  be  easily  translated,  I  send  it  in  the 
original.  noXX»j  jxoi  xoop^-oo'ij  hrsp  vjxCjv  zSS'rXr-iputj.ai  rfi  wrap. 
ax\r;g;f  ■d'ff£pK:pi(SffsCQiJ.ai  TY]  j^apa.*  What  would  you  be? 
Would  you  be  angels  1  I  questiort  whether  a  mortal  can 
anive  to  a  greater  degree  of  perfection  than  steadily  to  do 
good,  and  for  that  very  reason  patiently  and  meekly  to  suf- 
fer  evil.  For  my  part,  on  the  present  view  of  your  actions 
and  designs,  my  daily  prayers  are,  that  God  would  keep  you 
humble ;  and  then  I  am  sure  that  if  you  continue  '  to  suf- 
fer for  righteousness'  sake,'  though  it  be  but  in  a  lower 
degree,  the  Spirit  of  God  and  of  gloiy  shall  in  some  good 
measure  rest  upon  you.  And  you  cannot  but  feel  such  a 
satisfaction  in  your  own  minds  as  you  would  not  part  with 
for  all  the  world.  Be  never  weary  of  well  doing  ;  never 
look  back,  for  you  know  the  prize  and  the  crown  are  before 
you  ;  thoiigh  I  can  scarce  think  so  meanly  of  you,  as  that 
you  should  be  discouraged  with  the  '  crackling  of  thorns 
under  a  pot.'  Be  not  high-minded,  but  fear.  Preserve  an 
equal  temper  of  mind  under  whatever  treatment  you  meet 
with,  from  a  not  very  just  or  well-natured  world.  Bear  no 
more  sail  than  is  necessarj",  but  steer  steady.  The  less 
you  value  yourselves  for  these  unfashionable  duties,  (as 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  works  of  supererogation,)  the 
more  all  good  and  wise  men  will  value  you,  if  they  see  your 
works  are  all  of  a  piece  ;  or  which  is  infinitely  more.  He 
by  whom  actions  and  intentions  are  weighed  will  both 
accept,  esteem,  and  reward  you. 

"  I  hear  my  son  John  has  the  honour  of  being  styled  the 
'Father  of  the  Holy  Club ;'  if  it  be  so,  I  am  sure  I  must 
be  the  grandfather  of  it ;  and  I  need  not  say,  that  I  had 
rather  any  of  my  sons  should  be  so  dignified  and  distin- 
guished,  than  to  have  the  title  of  His  Holiness."  (  Whiter 
head's  Life.) 

Thus  encouraged  they  proceeded  in  their  course  with 
meekness  and  constancy ;  to  relieve  the  poor  they  sacrificed 
all  the  superfluities,  and  sometimes  the  conveniences  of 
life  ;  and  thej'  redoubled  their  efforts  to  produce  rehgious 
impressions  upon  their  college  acquaintance,  as  well  as 

*  2  Cor.  vii,  4.  Great  is  my  glorying  of  you.  I  am  filled  with 
comfort.    I  am  exceeding  joyfuL — Authorized  Version. 


22 


riFE  OP  THE 


upon  the  ignorant,  the  poor,  and  the  sick.  The  apology 
for  these  pious  and  praiseworthy  efforts,  which,  on  the 
increase  of  the  outcry  made  against  them,  Mr.  Wesley  pub- 
lished  in  the  modest  form  of  queries,  amply  indicates  the 
low  state  of  religious  feeling  in  the  university ;  and  Ave 
may  well  conchide  wilh  one  of  Mr.  Wesley's  biographers, 
that  "  a  voluntary  scheme  of  so  much  private  and  public 
good,  such  piety,  with  such  beneficence,  certainly  merited 
a  different  return  ;  and,  if  the  university  in  general,  instead 
of  ridiculing  or  persecuting  them,  had  had  the  grace  to 
imitate  their  example,  it  would  have  been  much  better 
both  for  the  public  and  themselves." 

Even  their  eldest  brother  Samuel  added  his  seasonable 
exhortations  to  perseverance,  in  a  short  but  vigorous  letter  •, 
— "  I  cannot  say,  I  thought  you  always  in  every  thing  right ; 
but  I  must  now  say,  rather  than  you  and  Charles  should 
give  over  your  whole  course,  especially  what  relates  to  the 
castle,  I  would  choose  to  folloAV  either  of  you,  nay,  both 
of  you,  to  your  graves.  I  cannot  advise  you  better,  than 
in  the  words  I  proposed  for  a  motto  to  a  pamphlet,  St/j^' 
idpaTog  iig  dxfiuv  tvittohsvos'  xaka  yap  dBXriTu  5spea6ai  xul  vixav. 
'  Stand  thou  steadfast  as  a  beaten  anvil ;  for  it  is  the  part 
of  a  good  champion  to  be  flayed  alive  and  to  conquer.'  " 
(WJiitehead's  Life.) 

Sickness,  and  coAvardly  desertion  arising  from  weariness 
of  the  cross,  some  time  after  this,  reduced  the  number  of 
this  little  society  of  zealous  young  men,  and  the  brothers 
were  left  to  stand  almost  alone ;  but  they  still  persevered 
with  unabated  zeal  and  diligence  in  their  attempts  to  do 
good,  exhibiting  a  rare  example  of  decision,  only  to  be 
accounted  for  by  a  preparing  influence  of  God  upon  their 
hearts,  thus  training  them  up  for  still  more  arduous  service. 
This  it  was  which  had  implanted  in  them  those  admirable 
principles  which  are  unreservedly  laid  open  in  a  letter  of 
Mr.  John  Wesley  to  his  brother  Samuel,  who  had  begun 
to  think  that  they  were  pushing  the  strictness  of  their  per- 
sonal piety  too  far  : — 

"1.  As  to  the  end  of  my  being,  I  lay  it  down  for  a  rule, 
that  I  cannot  be  too  happy,  or  therefore  too  holy;  and 
thence  infer  that  the  more  steadily  I  keep  my  eye  upon  the 
prize  of  our  high  caUing,  and  the  more  of  my  thoughts  and 
words  and  actions  are  directly  pointed  at  the  attainment  of 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


23 


it,  the  better.  2.  As  to  the  instituted  means  of  attain- 
ing  it,  I  hkewise  lay  it  down  for  a  rule,  that  I  am  to  use 
them  every  time  I  may.  3.  As  to  prudential  means,  I 
believe  this  rule  holds  of  things  indifferent  in  themselves ; 
whatever  I  know  to  do  me  hurt,  that  to  me  is  not  indifler- 
ent,  but  resolutely  to  be  abstained  from  :  w-hatever  I  know 
to  do  me  good,  that  to  me  is  not  indifferent,  but  resolutely 
to  be  embraced."  {Wliitehead's  Life.) 

Adverting  to  this  charge  of  overstrictness,  and  being 
"righteous  overmuch,"  he  also  earnestly  requests  his 
mother  to  point  out  any  instance  in  which  she  might  judge 
from  their  unreserved  communications  to  her  of  every  part 
of  their  conduct,  that  they  were  too  superstitious  or  enthu 
siastic  on  the  one  hand,  or  too  remiss  on  the  other.  Some 
anxiety  had  indeed  been  created  at  home  by  the  singularity 
of  their  proceedings,  and  the  opposition  they  had  roused  at 
Oxford,  which  was  probably  the  chief  reason  why  the  father 
extended  his  journey  from  London  to  Oxford  at  the  close 
of  the  year  1731.  He  was,  however,  evidently  satisfied 
with  his  personal  observations  and  inquiries ;  for  on  his 
return  to  London  he  writes  to  Mrs.  Wesley,  that  he  had 
been  well  repaid  for  the  expense  and  labour  of  his  journey 
to  Oxford,  "  by  the  shining  piety  of  our  two  sons." 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  zeal,  devotedness,  and  patience 
of  reproach,  when  the  eye  of  man  could  see  nothing  but 
a  mature  and  vital  Christianity,  w'e  are  enabled  to  ascer- 
tain  the  state  of  Mr.  Wesley's  own  heart  as  laid  open  by 
himself.  Speaking  of  a  time  a  htlle  subsequent  to  the 
decided  impressions  he  had  received  from  the  reading  of 
Bishop  Taylor's  "  Holy  Living  and  Dpng,"  and  Mr.  Law's 
"  Serious  Call,"  he  says,  "  I  was  convinced,  more  than  ever, 
of  the  exceeding  height  and  breadth  and  depth  of  the 
law  of  God.  The  hght  flowed  in  so  mightily  upon  my 
soul,  that  every  thing  appeared  in  a  new  view.  I  cried 
to  God  for  help,  and  resolved  not  to  prolong  the  time  of 
obeying  him  as  I  had  never  done  before.  And  by  my 
continued  endeavour  to  keep  his  whole  law,  inward  and 
outward,  to  the  best  of  my  power,  I  was  persuaded  that 
I  should  be  accepted  of  him  ;  and  that  I  was  even  then  in 
a  state  of  salvation." 

He  was  now  manifestly  seeking  justification  before 
God  by  efforts  at  a  perfect  obedience  to  his  law ;  nor  was 


34 


LIFE  OF  THE 


he  then  quite  hopeless  as  to  success.  Some  time  after, 
ward,  still  clearly  convinced  as  he  had  been  from  the  first 
that  he  was  not  in  that  state  of  mind,  that  settled  enjoy, 
ment  of  conscious  peace  with  God,  that  love  to  him, 
delight  in  him,  and  filial  access  to  him,  which  the  New 
Testament  describes  as  the  privilege  of  a  trae  believer, 
but  still  diligently  persevering  in  the  rigid  practice  of 
every  discovei'ed  duty  in  the  hope  of  seizing  the  great 
prize  by  this  means,  he  became  greatly  surprised  that  he 
was  so  far  from  obtaining  it.  He  was  often  dull  and 
formal  in  the  use  of  the  ordinances,  and  was  on  that 
account  thrown  "  into  distress  and  perplexity ;  so  that  he 
seemed  at  a  loss  which  way  to  proceed,  to  obtain  the 
happiness  and  security  he  wanted."  (WJiitehead.)  The 
deep  tone  of  feehng,  and  the  earnestness  of  his  inquiries, 
in  the  following  passages  from  a  letter  to  his  mother, 
written  in  1732,  present  this  state  of  his  mind  in  a  very 
affecting  light.  He  then  needed  some  one  more  fully 
instmcted  in  the  true  doctrine  of  salvation,  than  even  this 
excellent  and  intelligent  "  guide  of  his  youth,"  to  teach 
him  to  lay  down  the  burden  of  his  wounded  and  anxious 
spirit,  in  self-despair  as  to  his  own  efforts,  at  the  foot  of 
the  cross  of  Christ. 

After  mentioning  Mr.  Morgan,  he  observes :  "  One 
considei'ation  is  enough  to  make  me  assent  to  his  and 
your  judgment  concerning  the  holy  sacrament ;  which  is, 
that  we  cannot  allow  Christ's  human  nature  to  be  present 
in  it,  without  allowing  either  con-  or  tran-substantiation. 
But  that  his  Divinity  is  so  united  to  us  then,  as  he  never 
is  but  to  worthy  receivers,  I  firmly  believe ;  though  the 
manner  of  that  union  is  utterly  a  mystery  to  me. 

"  That  none  but  worthy  receivers  should  find  this  effect 
is  not  strange  to  me,  when  I  observe,  how  small  effect 
many  means  of  improvement  have  upon  an  unprepared 
mind.  Mr.  Morgan  and  my  brother  were  aflfected,  as  tliey 
ought,  by  the  observations  you  made  on  that  glorious  sub- 
ject :  butj  though  my  understanding  approved  what  waa 
excellent,  yet  my  heart  did  not  feel  it.  Why  was  this,  but 
because  it  was  pre-engaged  by  those  affections  with  which 
wisdom  will  not  dwell?  Because  the  animal  mind  can. 
not  reUsh  those  truths  which  are  spiritually  discerned. 
Yet  I  have  those  writings  which  the  good  Spirit  gave  to 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


25 


that  end !  I  have  many  of  those  which  he  hath  since  as- 
sisted  his  servants  to  give  us  ;  I  have  retirement  to  apply 
these  to  my  own  soul  daily  ;  I  have  means  both  of  pubhc 
and  private  prayer ;  and,  above  all,  of  partaking  in  that 
sacrament  once  a  week.  What  shall  I  do  to  make  all 
these  blessings  effectual?  to  gain  from  them  that  mind 
wluch  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus  ? 

"  To  all  who  give  signs  of  their  not  being  sti-angers  to 
it,  I  propose  this  question, — and  why  not  to  3'ou  rather 
than  any  ? — Shall  I  quite  break  off  my  pursuit  of  all  learn- 
ing, but  what  immediately  tends  to  practice?  I  once 
desired  to  make  a  fair  show  in  languages  and  philosophy  ; 
but  it  is  past ;  there  is  a  more  excellent  way ;  and  if  I 
cannot  attain  to  any  progress  in  the  one,  without  throwing 
up  all  thoughts  of  the  other,  why,  fare  it  well !  yet  a  little 
wliile,  and  we  shall  all  be  equal  in  knowledge,  if  we  are  in 
virtue. 

"  You  say,  you  have  renounced  the  world.  And  what 
have  I  been  doing  all  this  time  ?  What  have  I  done  ever 
since  I  was  born?  AVhy,  I  have  been  plunging  myself 
into  it  more  and  more.  It  is  enough  :  awake  thou  that 
sleepest.  Is  there  not  one  Loi'd,  one  Spirit,  one  hope  of 
our  caUing  ?  one  way  of  attaining  that  hope  ?  Then  I  am 
to  renounce  the  world  as  well  as  you.  That  is  the  very 
thing  I  want  to  do  :  to  draw  oft'  my  affections  from  this 
world,  and  fix  them  on  a  better.  But  how  ?  W^hat  is  the 
surest  and  the  shortest  way?  Is  it  not  to  be  humble? 
Surely  this  is  a  large  step  in  the  way.  But  the  question 
recurs,  How  am  I  to  do  this  ?  To  own  the  necessity  of 
it,  is  not  to  be  humble.  In  many  things  you  have  inter- 
ceded  for  me  and  prevailed.  Who  knows  but  in  this,  too, 
you  may  be  successful  ?  If  you  can  spare  me  only  that 
Uttle  part  of  Thursday  evening  which  you  formerly  be- 
stowed upon  me  in  another  manner,  I  doubt  not  but  it 
would  be  as  useful  now,  for  correcting  my  heart,  as  it  was 
then  for  forming  my  judgment. 

"When  I  observe  how  fast  life  flies  away,  and  how 
slow  improvement  comes,  I  think  one  can  never  be  too 
much  afraid  of  dying  before  one  has  learned  to  live.  I 
mean,  even  in  the  course  of  nature.  For  were  I  sure  that 
'  the  silver  cord  should  not  be  violently  loosed  ;'  that  '  the 
wheel '  should  not  be  '  broken  at  the  cistern,'  till  it  was 
3 


26 


LITE  OF  THE 


quite  worn  away  by  its  own  motion  ;  yet  what  a  time  would 
this  give  me  for  such  a  work !  a  moment,  to  transact  the 
business  of  eternity  !  What  are  forty  years  in  comparison 
of  this  ?  So  that  were  I  sure,  what  never  man  yet  was 
sure  of,  how  httle  would  it  alter  the  case !  How  justly 
still  might  I  cry  out, 

'  Downward  I  hasten  to  my  destined  place  ; 
There  none  obtain  thy  aid,  none  sing  thy  praise ! 
Soon  shall  I  lie  in  daath's  deep  ocean  drown'd ; 
Is  mercy  there,  is  sweet  forgiveness  found  ? 
O  save  me  yet,  whih  on  the  brink  I  stand ; 
Rebuke  these  storms,  and  set  me  safe  on  land, 
O  make  my  longings  and  thy  mercy  sure  ! 
Thou  art  the  God  of  power.'"  (Whitehead's  Life.) 

It  was  not,  therefore,  as  it  has  been  hastily  stated,  that 
he  first  learned  from  the  Moravians  that  he  was  not  a  true 
Christian.  He  had,  at  Oxford,  a  most  painful  conviction 
that  he  was  far  below  the  evangelical  standard.  He  had 
then,  as  this  letter  sufficiently  shows,  a  large  measure  of 
"  the  spirit  of  bondage  unto  fear ;"  and  that  after  which 
his  perplexed  heart  panted,  was  the  "  Spirit  of  adoption," 
by  Avhich  he  might  "  cry,  Abba,  Father." 

During  the  summer  of  this  year,  1732,  Mr.  Wesley 
visited  London,  where  he  formed  an  acquaintance  with 
several  respectable  and  pious  persons.  He  also  made 
two  journeys  to  Epworth.  The  latter  of  these  was  in  or- 
der to  meet  the  whole  family,  which  had  assembled,  upon 
the  father's  request,  once  more  before  their  final  separa- 
tion by  death.  These  and  other  journeys  he  performed 
on  foot,  partly,  no  doubt,  to  avoid  what  he  considered 
needless  expense,  that  he  might,  according  to  his  nale, 
have  the  more  to  distribute  in  charity  ;  and  partly  to 
accustom  himself  to  fatigue  and  hardship.  "  In  these 
excui'sions,  he  constantly  preached  on  the  Lord's  day ;  so 
that  he  might  now  be  called,  in  some  degree,  an  itinerant 
preacher."  In  the  following  year,  he  again  visited  Ep- 
worth, Manchester,  and  some  other  places ;  but  his  occa- 
sional absence  had  a  bad  effect  upon  the  still  persecuted 
society  at  Oxford,  whose  members  shrunk  from  the  storm, 
and  took  the  opportunity  of  his  being  away  to  shake  off  the 
strictness  of  the  rules.  The  five-and-twcnty  communi- 
cants at  St.  Mary's,  ho  informs  his  father,  had  shrunk  to 


REV.  JOHN  WESIET. 


27 


five.  Still  his  courage  was  unshaken,  and  he  exerted  him- 
self the  more,  upon  his  return,  to  repair  the  loss.  To- 
ward  the  end  of  the  year,  his  exertions  of  mind  and  body, 
with  an  excess  of  abstemiousness,  greatly  affected  hia 
health,  and  induced  spitting  of  blood.  His  state  was  such 
as  greatly  to  alarm  his  friends ;  but  the  vigour  of  his  con- 
stitution triumphed ;  and  this  attack  of  disease  served  to 
impress  him  the  more  deeply  with  eternal  things,  and  to 
give  renewed  ardour  to  his  endeavours  after  universal 
holiness,  and  to  his  plans  for  the  reUgious  benefit  of  hia 
fellow  creatures. 

A  considerable  trial  to  his  feelings  now  awaited  him. 
The  decHning  age  of  his  father,  who  anxiously  desired  to 
provide  for  the  spiritual  wants  of  his  parishioners  in  a 
suitable  manner,  joined  with  the  wishes  of  the  people  of 
Epworth,  and  the  concerns  of  the  family  for  which  no  pro- 
vision,  it  seems,  had  been  made,  induced  him  to  write  to 
his  son,  to  make  interest  for  the  next  presentation  to  the 
living.  Mr.  Wesley,  from  his  reluctance  to  leave  Oxford, 
where  he  thought  he  should  be  far  more  useful,  and 
where,  according  to  his  own  convictions,  he  was  placed 
in  circumstances  more  conducive  to  his  spiritual  improve- 
ment, refused  the  proposal ;  and  the  most  urgent  letters 
of  the  different  branches  of  the  family  were  insufficient  to 
bend  his  resolution.  His  father  wrote  him  a  pathetic  let- 
ter, in  which  every  consideration  was  urged  which  might 
answer  his  objections,  or  move  his  feelings.  His  brother 
Samuel  addressed  him  in  a  sterner  mood,  urging  that  he 
was  not  at  liberty  to  I'esolve  against  undertaking  a  cure  of 
souls,  to  which  he  was  solemnly  pledged  by  his  ordina- 
tion  ;  and  ridiculed  his  notion  that  he  could  not,  so  safely 
to  himself,  or  so  usefully  to  others,  take  the  charge  of  a 
parish  priest,  as  remain  at  Oxford.  To  all  this  he  reite- 
rates, that  his  own  hoUness  and  usefulness  could  be  pro- 
moted no  where  so  effectually  as  in  his  present  station ; 
that  his  retirement,  his  friends,  and  other  advantages  were 
essential  to  his  improvement ;  that  he  was  inadequate  to  the 
charge  of  two  thousand  parishioners ;  and  that  he  did  not 
consider  his  ordination  vows  in  the  same  light  as  his  bro- 
ther. On  the  last  point,  indeed,  he  was  supported  by  the 
opinion  of  the  bishop  who  ordained  him,  and  whom  he  con- 
suited  on  the  question.  These  and  other  topics  run  throogh 


28 


LIFE  OF  THE 


the  correspondence,  which,  tliough  it  is  not  necessary  tc 
give  entire,  affords  considerable  insight  into  the  state  of 
Mr.  Wesley's  mind.  His  conduct  in  this  matter  has  been 
criticised  as  unfeehng,  without  considering  that  the  kind- 
ness of  his  general  character  is  a  sufficient  pledge,  that  the 
refusal  of  the  urgent  request  of  a  venerable  father,  and  a 
beloved  mother  whose  widowhood  would  be  unprovided  for, 
must  have  been  to  him  sufficiently  painful.  Dr.  Southey 
thinks  the  correspondence  not  "  creditable  to  his  judg- 
ment;"  {Life  of  Wesley;)  but  it  would  be  hard  to  prove 
that  the  leading  consideration  which  influenced  him,  that 
he  was  more  usefully  employed  in  doing  good  at  the  very 
"  fountain"  from  which  the  nation  was  to  be  so  largely 
suppUed  with  its  clergy,  than  as  a  comitry  parish  priest, 
was  not  a  veiy  obvious  truth.  This  conclusion,  true  or 
false,  was  at  least  a  very  plausible  one,  and  as  such  con- 
cerned his  conscience ;  and  his  disregard  of  his  own  tern- 
poral  advantage,  which  certainly  lay  on  the  side  of  the 
Epworth  rectory,  and  his  merging  all  consideration  of  the 
interests  of  the  family  in  the  higher  question  of  what  he 
regarded  as  a  duty,  might  not  appear  instances  of  "  good 
judgment"  to  worldly  minds,  and  yet  be  so  in  reality.  Hia 
leading  reason,  drawn  from  his  greater  usefulness  at  Ox- 
ford,  being  strong  in  itself,  that  he,  with  his  wonted  decision 
of  character,  should  stand  firmly  upon  it,  will  create  no 
surprise ;  but  that  some  of  hie  other  reasons  are  less 
weighty  may  be  granted.  They  show  that  ho  had  more 
confidence  in  a  certain  claes  of  means,  to  secure  his  reli- 
gious safety,  than  in  the  grace  of  God.  This  was  the 
natural  effect  of  those  notions  of  the  efficacy  of  retirement, 
and  self-denial,  and  "  the  wisdom  of  flight"  from  danger, 
which  he  had  learned  from  Bishop  Taylor;  whilst  the 
views  he  entertained  of  the  necessity  of  exercising  a  minute 
personal  superintendence  over  every  individual  committed 
to  his  charge,  as  being  equally  necessary  to  his  own  good 
conscience,  and  to  their  salvation,  led  him  to  regard  a 
parish,  containing  two  thousand  souls,  as  too  formidable 
and  fearful  an  iindertaking.  His  religious  judgment  was 
indeed  as  yet  immature  and  perplexed ;  but  in  reasoning 
from  his  own  principles,  his  natural  judgment  showed  its 
usual  strength  in  the  conclusions  to  which  it  conducted 
him.    Whatever  weakness  there  might  be.  in  the  case  was 


KEV.  JOHN  WEStET. 


29 


the  result  of  the  imperfect  state  of  his  reUgious  experience, 
and  of  that  dependence  upon  his  own  plans  of  attaining 
spirituahtj',  to  which  it  gave  rise ;  but  connecting  him  with 
that  great  work  which  he  was  designed  afterward  to  effect, 
we  must  shut  out  also  the  doctrine  of  Providence,  if  we  do 
not  see  a  higher  hand  than  that  of  man  in  this  determina- 
tion ;  a  hand  which  is  not  the  less  certainly  employed, 
when  it  works  its  ends  through  the  secret  volitions,  aver- 
sions, inclinations,  and  even  prejudices  of  the  human  heart, 
than  when  it  more  sensibly  and  immediately  interposes  to 
hasten  or  retard  our  purposes.  Mr.  Wesley's  father  died 
in  April,  1735.  He  had  been  manifestly  ripening  for  his 
change ;  and  in  his  last  moments  had  the  consolation  of 
the  presence  of  his  two  sons,  John  and  Charles.  "  He  had 
no  fear  of  death  ;  and  the  peace  of  God  which  he  enjoyed 
appeared  sometimes  to  suspend  his  bodily  sufferings,  and, 
when  they  recurred,  to  sustain  his  mind  above  them. 
When,  as  nature  seemed  spent,  and  his  speech  was  fail- 
ing, his  son  John  asked  him  whether  he  was  not  near 
heaven,  he  answered,  '  Yes,  I  am,'  distinctly,  and  with  a 
voice  of  hope  and  joy.  After  John  had  used  the  com- 
mendatory prayer,  he  said,  '  Now  you  have  done  all :'  these 
were  liis  last  words,  and  ho  passed  away  so  peacefully 
and  insensibly,  that  his  children  continued  over  him  a 
considerable  time  in  doubt  whether  or  not  the  spirit  was 
departed.  Mrs.  Wesley,  who  for  several  days,  whenever 
she  entered  his  chamber,  had  been  carried  out  of  it  in  a 
fit,  recovered  her  fortitude  now,  and  said  her  prayers  were 
heard,  for  God  had  granted  him  an  easy  death,  and  had 
strengthened  her  to  bear  it."  {Soufliey's  Life.)  Brighter 
views  of  the  doctrine  of  faith  had  opened  upon  his  mind, 
during  his  sickness,  and  shed  their  influence  upon  his  last 
hours.  This  liis  sons  afterward  more  clearly  understood 
than  at  the  time.* 

About  the  middle  of  this  year,  the  trustees  of  the  new 
colony  of  Georgia,  who  wished  to  send  out  clergymen 
*  In  some  of  the  biographical  notices  which  have  been  pubhshed  of 
this  venerable  man,  he  is  l  epresented  as  of  a  liarsh  and  stern  character. 
On  this  point  the  late  Miss  Wesley  observes,  in  a  MS.  letter  beforo 
mo,  "  I  never  understood  this  from  any  of  his  children,  wiio  idolized 
his  memory,  and  spoke  of  his  kindness.  He  certainly  never  forced  liis 
daugliter  to  marry  Wright,  as  it  has  been  suggested."  In  the  same 
letter,  Miss  Wesley  also  ctwrects  tlie  current  anecdote  respecting  tho 
3* 


80 


IIFE  OP  THE 


both  to  administer  to  the  spirit\ial  wants  of  the  colonistsf, 
and  also  to  attempt  the  conversion  of  the  Indians,  directed 
their  attention  to  Mr.  John  Wesley,  and  some  of  his  friends 
at  Oxford,  as  peculiarly  qualified,  both  by  zeal  and  piety, 
and  their  habits  of  self-denial,  for  this  service.  After  some 
delay,  and  consultation  with  his  family,  he  accepted  the 
offer;  and  thus,  though  Epworlh  could  not  draw  him 
from  Oxtbrd,  an  enterprize  of  a  missionary-  character,  and 
presenting  no  temptations  to  ease  and  sloth,  such  as  he 
feared  in  a  parish  at  home,  overcame  his  scruples.  This 
itself  is  in  proof  that  he  had  not  resolved  to  remain  in 
Oxford,  in  preference  to  accepting  the  hving  of  Epworth, 
from  selfish  motives.  In  the  question  of  usefulness,  the 
balance  before  inclined  to  Oxford ;  and  now  that  he 
thought  a  greater  field  for  doing  good  opened  in  America, 
he  yielded  to  that  consideration.  This  mission  was  accom- 
panied  also  with  the  certainty  of  great  hardships  and  suffer- 
ings, which,  according  to  his  then  defective,  but  most 
sincere  views,  were  necessary  to  his  perfection.  His 
residence  at  Oxford  now  terminated,  and  this  portion  of 
his  life  may  be  properly  concluded  with  some  passages  of 
a  letter  written  by  Mr.  Gambold,  a  man  of  fine  genius,  as 
some  of  his  poems  show,  and  of  eminent  holiness ;  who, 
some  years  afterward,  left  the  Church  of  England,  and 
became  a  Moravian  bishop.  The  letter  was  addressed  to 
one  of  Mr.  Wesley's  relations,  and  contains  a  lively  de- 
scription of  the  character  and  proceedings  of  a  friend, 
whom  he  did  not  then  expect  to  see  again  on  earth  : — 

"About  the  middle  of  March,  17S0,  I  became  acquaint, 
ed  with  Mr.  Charles  Wesley,  of  Ciirist  Church.  After 
some  time,  he  introduced  me  to  lus  brother  John,  of  Lin- 
coln College.  '  For  he  is  somewhat  older,'  said  he,  '  than 
I  am,  and  can  resolve  your  doubts  better.'  I  never  ob- 
served any  person  have  a  more  real  deference  for  another 

Epworth  clerk  and  the  rector's  wig,  which,  tliough  laughable  enough, 
implicates  Mr.  Wesley  in  an  irreverent  act,  in  the  house  of  God,  of 
which  ho  was  not  capable.  The  clerk  did  appear  one  Sunday,  in 
church,  in  the  ill-befitting,  cast-off  wig  of  his  master;  and,  to  the 
disturbance  of  the  gravity  of  the  congregation,  gave  out  the  psalm, 
"  Like  to  an  owl  in  ivy  bush. 
That  fearsome  thing  am  I." 
But  Mr.  Wesley  had  no  hand  in  selecting  the  psalm,  which  appears 
to  havo  been  pwoly  accidental. 


HEV.  JOHN  WEStEY. 


81 


than  he  had  for  his  brother ;  which  is  the  more  remark- 
able, because  such  near  relations,  being  equals  by  birth, 
and  conscious  to  each  other  of  all  the  httle  famihar  pas- 
sages  of  their  lives,  commonly  stand  too  close  to  see  the 
ground  there  may  be  for  such  submission.  Indeed  he 
followed  his  brother  entirely ;  could  I  describe  one  of 
them,  I  should  describe  both.  I  shall  therefore  say  no 
more  of  Charles,  but  that  he  was  a  man  formed  for  friend- 
ship, who,  by  his  cheerfulness  and  vivacity,  would  refresh 
his  friend's  heart ;  with  attentive  consideration,  would 
enter  into,  and  settle  all  his  concerns  as  far  as  he  was 
able  ;  he  would  do  any  thing  for  him,  great  or  small ;  and, 
by  a  habit  of  mutual  openness  and  freedom,  would  leave 
no  room  for  misunderstanding. 

"  The  Wesleys  were  already  talked  of  for  some  reUgious 
practices,  which  were  first  occasioned  by  Mr.  Morgan,  of 
Christ  Church.  From  these  combined  friends  began  a 
little  society.  Mr.  John  Wesley  was  the  chief  manager, 
for  which  he  was  very  fit ;  for  he  had  not  only  more  learn- 
ing and  experience  than  the  rest,  but  he  was  blessed  with 
such  activity  as  to  be  always  gaining  ground,  and  such 
steadiness  that  he  lost  none.  What  proposals  he  made  to 
any  were  sure  to  alarm  them,  because  he  was  so  much  in  ^ 
earnest ;  nor  could  they  afterAvard  shght  them,  because  they 
saw  him  always  the  same.  What  supported  this  uniform 
vigour  was  the  care  he  took  to  consider  well  every  affair 
before  he  engaged  in  it,  making  all  his  decisions  in  the 
fear  of  God,  without  passion,  humour,  or  self-confidence. 
For  though  he  had  naturally  a  veiy  clear  apprehension, 
yet  his  exact  pradence  depended  more  on  his  humility  and 
singleness  of  heart.  He  had,  I  think,  something  of  autho- 
rity in  his  countenance,  yet  ho  never  assumed  any  thing 
to  himself  above  his  companions ;  any  of  them  might  speak 
their  mind,  and  their  words  were  as  strictly  regarded  by 
him  as  his  words  were  by  them. 

"  Their  undertaking  included  these  several  particulars  : 
to  converse  with  young  students  ;  to  visit  the  prisons  ;  to 
instruct  some  poor  famiUes  ;  to  take  care  of  a  school,  and 
a  parish  workhouse.  They  took  great  pains  with  the 
younger  members  of  the  university,  to  rescue  them  from 
bad  company,  and  encourage  them  in  a  sober,  studious  life. 
They  would  get  them  to  breakfast,  and  over  a  dish  of  tea 


82 


MFE  OF  THE 


endeavour  to  fasten  some  good  hint  upon  them  They 
would  bring  them  acquainted  with  other  well-disposed 
young  men,  give  them  assistance  in  the  difficult  parts  of 
their  learning,  and  watch  over  them  with  the  greatest  ten- 
derness. 

"  Some  or  other  of  them  went  to  the  castle  every  day, 
and  another  most  commonly  to  Bocardo.  Whoever  went 
to  the  castle  was  to  read  in  the  chapel  to  as  many  prison- 
ers as  would  attend,  and  to  talk  apart  to  the  man  or  men 
whom  he  had  taken  particularly  in  charge.  When  a  new 
prisoner  came,  their  conversation  with  him  for  four  or  five 
times  was  close  and  searching.  If  any  one  was  under 
sentence  of  death,  or  appeared  to  have  some  intentions  of 
a  new  Ufe,  they  came  every  day  to  his  assistance,  and  par- 
took in  the  conflict  and  suspense  of  those  who  should  now 
be  found  able,  or  not  able,  to  lay  hold  on  salvation.  In 
order  to  release  those  who  were  confined  for  small  debts, 
and  to  purchase  books  and  other  necessaries,  they  raised 
a  little  fund,  to  which  many  of  their  acquaintance  contri- 
buted  quarterly.  They  had  prayers  at  the  castle  most 
Wednesdays  and  Fridays,  a  sermon  on  Sunday,  and  the 
sacrament  once  a  month. 

"  When  they  undertook  any  poor  family,  they  saw  them 
at  least  once  a  week ;  sometimes  gave  them  money,  admo- 
nished  them  of  their  vices,  read  to  them,  and  examined 
their  children.  The  school  was,  I  think,  of  Mr.  Wesley's 
own  setting  up ;  however,  he  paid  the  mistress,  and  clothed 
some,  if  not  all,  the  children.  When  they  went  thither, 
they  inquired  how  each  child  behaved,  saw  their  work, 
heard  them  read  and  say  their  prayers,  or  catechism,  and 
explained  part  of  it.  In  the  same  manner  they  taught 
the  children  in  the  workhouse,  and  read  to  the  old  people 
as  they  did  to  the  prisoners. 

"  They  seldom  took  any  notice  of  the  accusations  brought 
against  them  for  their  charitable  employments ;  but  if  they 
did  make  any  reply,  it  was  commonly  such  a  plain  and 
simple  one,  as  if  there  was  nothing  more  in  the  case,  but 
that  they  had  just  heard  such  doctrines  of  their  Saviour, 
and  had  believed,  and  done  accordingly. 

"  I  could  say  a  great  deal  of  his  private  piety,  how  it 
was  nourished  by  a  continual  recourse  to  God,  and  pre- 
served  by  a  strict  watchfulness  in  beating  down  pride,  and 


EEV.  JOHN  WESIEY. 


33 


reducing  the  craftiness  and  impetuosity  of  nature  to  a  child, 
like  simplicity,  and  in  a  good  degree  crowned  with  Divine 
love,  and  victory  over  the  whole  set  of  earthly  passions. 
He  thought  prayer  to  be  more  his  business  than  any  thing 
else  ;  and  I  have  seen  him  come  out  of  his  closet  with  a 
serenity  of  countenance  that  Avas  next  to  shining  :  it  dis- 
covered what  he  had  been  doing,  and  gave  me  double 
hope  of  receiving  wise  directions,  in  the  matter  about 
which  I  came  to  consult  him.  In  all  his  motions  he  at- 
tended  to  the  will  of  God.  He  had  neither  the  presump- 
tion  nor  the  leisure  to  anticipate  things  whose  season  was 
not  now  ;  and  would  show  some  uneasiness  whenever  any 
of  us,  by  impertinent  spccvdations,  were  shifting  ofF  the 
appointed  improvement  of  the  present  minute. 

"  Because  he  required  such  a  regulation  of  our  studies 
as  might  devote  them  all  to  God,  he  has  been  accused  as 
one  that  discouraged  learning.  Far  from  that ;  for  the  first 
thing  he  struck  at,  in  young  men,  was  that  indolence  which 
will  not  submit  to  close  thinking.  He  eai-neatly  recom- 
mended to  them  a  method  and  order  in  all  their  actions. 

"  If  any  one  could  have  provoked  him,  I  should ;  for  I 
was  very  slow  in  coming  into  their  measures,  and  very 
remiss  in  doing  my  part.  I  frequently  contradicted  his 
assertions ;  or,  Avhich  is  much  the  same,  distinguished  upon 
them.  I  hardly  ever  submitted  to  his  advice  at  the  time  he 
gave  it,  though  I  relented  afterward.  He  is  now  gone  to 
Georgia  as  a  missionary,  where  there  is  ignorance  that 
aspires  after  Divine  wisdom,  but  no  false  learning  that  is 
got  above  it.  He  is,  I  confess,  still  living ;  and  I  know 
that  an  advantageous  character  is  more  decently  bestowed 
on  the  deceased.  But,  beside  that  his  condition  is  very  like 
that  of  the  dead,  being  unconcerned  in  all  we  say,  I  am  not 
making  any  attempt  on  the  opinion  of  the  public,  but  only 
studying  a  private  edification.  A  family  picture  of  him 
his  relations  may  be  allowed  to  keep  by  them.  And  this 
is  the  idea  of  Mr.  Wesley,  which  I  cherish  for  the  service 
of  my  own  soul,  and  which  I  take  the  liberty  hkewise  to 
deposit  with  you."    (Wliilchead^s  Life.) 

This  letter  is  honourable  to  Mr.  Gambold's  friendship  : 
but  he  was  not  himself,  at  that  time,  of  mature  spiritual 
discernment,  nor  had  Mr.  Wesley  opened  the  state  of  his 
heart  to  him  with  the  freedom  which  we  have  seen  in  hia 


34 


LIFE  OP  THE 


letters  to  his  mother.  The  external  picture  of  the  man  is 
exact ;  but  he  was  not  inwardly  that  perfect  Christian 
which  Mr,  Gambold  describes,  nor  had  he  that  abiding 
"  interior  peace."  He  was  strugghng  with  inward  cor- 
ruptions, which  made  him  still  cry,  "  O  wretched  man  that 
I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ?" 
And  he  as  yet  put  mortification,  retirement,  and  contempt 
of  the  world,  too  much  in  the  place  of  that  Divine  atone- 
ment, the  virtue  of  which,  when  received  by  simple  faith, 
at  once  removes  the  sense  of  guilt,  cheers  the  spirit  by  a 
peaceful  sense  of  acceptance  through  the  merits  of  Christ, 
and  renews  the  whole  heart  after  the  image  of  God.  He 
was  indeed  attempting  to  work  out  "  his  own  salvation 
with  fear  and  trembling;"  but  not  a.s  knowing  that  "it 
is  God  that  worketh  in  us  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good 
pleasure."  He  had  not,  in  this  respect,  learned  "  to  be 
nothing,"  that  he  might  "  possess  all  things." 

CHAPTER  III. 

Mr. Wesley  now  prepared  for  Georgia,  the  place  where, 
as  he  afterward  said,  "  God  humbled  me,  and  proved  me, 
and  showed  me  what  was  in  my  heart."  But  he  was  not 
suffered  to  depart  without  remonstrances  from  friends, 
which  he  answered  calmly  and  at  length,  and  the  scofls  of 
the  profane,  to  which  he  made  but  brief  reply.  "  What  is 
this,  sir  ?"  said  one  of  tlie  latter  class  to  him  ;  "  are  you 
turned  Quixote  too  ?  Will  nothing  sei've  you,  but  to  en- 
counter windmills  ?"  To  which  he  replied,  "  Sir,  if  the 
Bible  be  not  true,  I  am  as  veiy  a  fool  and  madman  as  you 
can  conceive  ;  but  if  it  be  of  God,  I  am  sober-minded." 

Mr.  Charles  Wesley,  although  in  opposition  to  the  opinion 
of  his  brother  Samuel,  agreed  to  accompany  him  to  Georgia, 
and  received  holy  orders.  They  were  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Ingham,  of  Queen's  College,  and  Mr.  DeUimottc.  That 
Mr.  Wesley  considered  the  sacrifices  and  hardships  of  their 
mission  in  the  light  of  means  of  religious  edification  to 
themselves,  as  well  as  the  means  of  doing  good  to  others, 
is  plain  from  his  own  account :  "  Our  end  in  leaving  our 
native  country  was  not  to  avoid  want ;  God  had  given  us 
plenty  of  temporal  blessings ;  nor  to  gain  the  dung  and 
dross  of  riches  and  honour ;  but  singly  this,  to  save  our 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLET. 


39 


Bouls,  to  live  wholly  to  the  glory  of  God."  Theac  observa- 
tions  are  sufficiently  indicative  of  that  dependence  upon  a 
mortified  course  of  Ufe,  and  that  seclusion  from  the  tempt- 
ations  of  the  world,  which  he  then  thought  essential  to 
religious  safctj'. 

Georgia  is  now  a  flourishing  state,  and  the  number  of 
Methodist  societies  in  it  veiy  considerable  ;  a  result  not 
then  certainly  contemplated  by  the  Weslcys,  who  laboured 
there  with  little  success,  and  quitted  it  ahnost  in  despair. 
The  first  settlers  from  England  embarked  in  1732,  with 
Mr.  James  Oglethorpe  at  their  head,  who  was  also  one  of 
the  trustees  under  the  charter.  This  gentleman  founded 
Savannah,  and  concluded  a  treaty  with  the  Creek  Indians. 
Wars  with  both  Spaniards  and  Indians,  however,  subse- 
quently arose,  as  well  as  domestic  feuds ;  and  in  1752  tho 
tinstees  surrendered  their  charter  to  the  king,  and  it  wag 
made  a  royal  government.  It  was,  therefore,  in  the  infancy 
of  tlic  colony  that  tlie  Wesleys  commenced  their  labours. 

Tliat  they  should  experience  trouble,  vexation,  and  dis- 
appointment,  was  the  natural  result  both  of  the  circum- 
stances in  which  they  were  placed,  and  their  OAvn  religious 
habits  and  views.  A  small  colony,  and  especially  in  its 
infancy,  is  usually  a  focus  of  faction,  chscontent,  and  cen- 
soriousness.  The  colonists  are  often  disappointed,  uneasy 
in  their  circumstances,  frustrated  in  their  hopes,  and  impa- 
tient of  authority.  This  was  the  case  in  Georgia ;  and 
althougli  Mr.  Oglethorpe  upon  the  whole  was  a  worthy 
governor,  he  was  subject  to  prejudices,  and  prone  to  be 
misled  by  designing  men.  He  certainly  did  not  support 
the  Wesleys  with  that  steadiness  and  uniformity  which  were 
due  to  them  ;*  and  on  the  other  hand  they  were  not  fault- 
less, although  their  intentions  were  entirely  upright.  They 
had  high  notions  of  clerical  authority ;  and  their  pastoral 
faithfulness  was  probably  rigid  and  repulsive ;  for  in  spite 
of  the  excellence  of  their  own  natural  temper,  an  austere 
cast  had  been  given  to  their  piety.  They  stood  firmly  on 
little  things,  as  well  as  great ;  and  held  the  reins  of  ecclesi- 
astical discipline  with  a  tightness  unsuitable  to  infant  colo- 

*  Oglethorpe's  good  opinion  of  the  brothers  was,  however,  shown 
by  his  anxiety  to  persuade  Cliarlos  to  return  again  to  tho  colony, 
after  he  had  visited  England  ;  and  by  the  nnrkcd  respect  and  even 
reverence  with  which  at  a  future  period  he  treated  John. 


36 


LIFE  OP  THR 


nists  especially,  and  which  tended  to  provoke  resistance. 
Their  integrity  of  heart,  and  the  purity  of  their  intentions, 
came  forth  without  a  stain  :  tliey  must  also  be  allowed  to 
have  proceeded  according  to  the  best  Ught  they  had ;  but 
they  knew  not  yet  "  tho  love  of  Christ,"  nor  how  to  sway 
men's  hearts  by  that  nil-commanding  and  controlling  mo- 
tive ;  and  they  aimed  at  making  men  Christians,  in  the 
manner  they  sought  that  great  attainment  themselves, — by 
a  rigid  and  ascetic  discipline. 

On  their  passage,  an  exact  plan  for  the  employment  of 
time  was  arranged,  and  observed  ;  but  the  voyage  is  most 
remarkable  for  bringing  Mr.  Wesley  acquainted  with  the 
members  of  the  Moravian  Church  ;  for,  among  the  settlers 
taken  out,  were  twenty-six  Germans  of  this  communion. 
Mr.  Wesley  immediately  began  to  learn  German,  in  order 
to  converse  with  them ;  and  David  Nitchman,  the  Mora- 
vian bishop,  and  two  others,  received  lessons  in  English. 
On  the  peissage  thoy  had  several  storms,  in  which  Mr. 
Wesley  felt  that  the  fear  of  death  had  not  been  taken  away 
from  him,  and  concluded  tlierefore  that  he  was  not  fit  to 
die  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  greatly  admired  the  absence  of  all 
slavish  dread  in  the  Germans.  He  says,  "  I  had  long 
before  observed  the  great  seriousness  of  their  beliaviour. 
Of  their  humility  they  had  given  a  continual  proof,  by  per- 
forming those  servile  offices  for  the  other  passengers  which 
none  of  the  English  would  undertake  ;  for  which  they  de- 
Bircd  and  would  receive  no  pay ;  saying  it  was  '  good  for 
their  proud  hearts,  and  their  loving  Saviour  had  done  more 
for  them.'  And  every  day  had  given  them  occasion  of 
showing  a  meekness,  which  no  injury  could  move.  If  they 
were  pushed,  struck,  or  thrown  down,  they  rose  again  and 
went  away ;  but  no  complaint  was  found  in  their  mouth. 
There  was  now  an  opportunity  of  trying  whether  (bey  were 
delivered  from  the  spirit  of  fear,  as  well  as  from  that  of 
pride,  anger,  and  revenge.  In  the  midst  of  the  psalm 
wherewith  their  service  began,  the  sea  broke  over,  split  the 
main  sail  in  pieces,  covered  the  ship,  and  poured  in  be- 
tween the  decks,  as  if  the  great  deep  had  already  swallow- 
ed us  up.  A  terrible  screaming  began  among  the  English. 
The  Germans  calmly  sung  on.  I  asked  one  of  them 
afterward,  'Was  you  not  afraid?'  lie  answered,  'I  thank 
God,  No.'    I  asked,  '  But  were  not  vour  women  and 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


87 


childi'en  afraid?'  He  replied  mildly,  'No;  our  women 
and  children  are  not  afraid  to  die.' "  (Journal.) 

Thus  he  had  the  first  glimpse  of  a  religious  experience 
which  keeps  the  mind  at  peace  in  all  circumstances,  and 
vanquishes  that  feeling  which  a  formal  and  defective  reU- 
gion  may  lull  to  temporary  sleep,  but  cannot  eradicate, — 
"  the  fear  of  death." 

They  landed  on  the  6th  of  February,  1736,  on  a  small 
uninhabited  island  ;  from  whence  Mr.  Oglethorpe  proceed, 
ed  to  Savannah,  and  returned  the  next  day,  bringing  with 
him  Mr.  Spangenberg,  one  of  the  Moravian  pastors, 
already  settled  there. 

"  I  soon  found,"  saj-a  Mr.  Wesley,  "  what  spirit  he  was 
of;  and  asked  his  advice  with  regard  to  my  own  conduct. 
He  said,  '  My  brother,  I  must  first  ask  you  one  or  two 
questions.  Have  you  the  witness  within  yourself?  Does 
the  Spirit  of  God  bear  witness  with  your  spirit,  that  you 
arc  the  child  of  God  ?'  I  was  surj^rised,  and  knew  not 
what  to  answer.  He  obsei-ved  it,  and  asked,  '  Do  you 
know  Jesus  Christ  ?'  I  paused  and  said,  I  know  he  is  the 
Saviour  of  the  world.  'True  ;'  replied  he;  'but  do  you 
know  he  has  saved  you  ?'  I  answered,  I  hope  he  has  died 
to  save  me.  He  only  added,  '  Do  you  know  yourself?'  I 
said,  I  do.    But  I  fear  they  were  vain  words."  {Journal.) 

Mr.  Charles  Wesley  took  charge  of  Frederica,  and  Mr. 
John  of  Savannali,  where,  the  house  not  being  ready,  he 
took  up  his  residence  v/ith  the  Germans,  with  whose  spirit 
and  conduct  he  became  still  more  favorably  impressed, 
and  whose  mode  of  proceeding  in  the  election  and  ordina- 
tion of  a  bishop  carried  him  back  he  says  to  those  primitive 
times  "  where  form  and  state  Avere  not ;  but  Paul  the  tent- 
maker,  and  Peter  the  fisherman,  presided ;  yet  with  demon- 
stration  of  the  Spirit,  and  power." 

Mr.  Wesley  had  not  been  long  at  Savannah  before  he 
heard  from  Charles  of  his  troubles  and  opposition  at  Fred- 
erica.  His  presence  among  the  licentious  colonists,  and 
the  frequent  reproofs  he  administered,  made  liim  an  object 
of  great  hatred,  and  "plots  were  formed  cither  to  ruin  him 
in  the  opinion  of  Oglethorpe,  or  to  take  him  off  by  vio- 
lence." {Whitehead's  Life.)  Oglethorpe  was  for  a  time 
successfully  practised  upon,  treated  him  with  coldness, 
and  left  him  to  endure  the  c^reatest  privations.    He  lay 


88 


1IF£  OF  THE 


upon  the  ground  in  the  corner  of  a  hut,  and  was  denied  the 
luxury  of  a  few  boards  for  a  bed.  He  was  out  of  favour 
with  the  governor ;  even  the  servants  on  that  account 
insulted  him  ;  and,  worn  out  with  vexation  and  hardships, 
he  fell  into  a  dangerous  fever.  In  this  state  he  was  visited 
by  his  brother  John,  who  prevailed  upon  him  to  break  a 
resolution  which  "  honour  and  indignation"  had  induced 
him  to  form,  of  "starving  rather  than  ask  for  necessaries." 
Soon  after  this,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  discovered  the  plots  ot 
which  he  had  been  the  victim,  and  was  fully  reconciled  to 
him.  He  then  took  charge  of  Savannah,  whilst  John  sup- 
plied his  place  at  Fredcrica ;  and  in  July,  173G,  he  was 
sent  to  England,  charged  with  despatches  from  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe to  the  trustees  and  the  board  of  trade,  and  in  Decem- 
ber, arrived  at  Deal ;  thus  terminating  a  service  in  which 
he  had  preached  with  great  fidelity  and  zeal ;  but  had  met 
with  very  unworthy  returns. 

Of  the  two  places,  Savannah  appears  to  have  been  more 
hopeful  than  Frederica ;  and  as  Mr.  John  Wesley  did  not 
find  the  door  open  for  preaching  to  the  Inchans,  he  con- 
sulted with  his  companions,  in  what  manner  they  might  bj 
most  useful  to  the  flock  at  Savannah.    It  was  agreed, 

1.  To  advise  the  more  serious  among  them,  to  form  them- 
selves into  a  little  society,  and  to  meet  once  or  twice  a 
week,  in  order  to  reprove,  instruct,  and  exhort  one  another. 

2.  To  select  out  of  these  a  smaller  number  for  a  more 
intimate  union  with  each  other ;  which  might  be  forwarded 
partly  by  their  conversing  singly  with  each,  and  inviting 
them  all  together  to  Mr.  W osley's  house :  and  this  accord- 
ingly they  determined  to  do  every  Sunday  in  the  afternoon. 
"  Here,"  says  Dr.  Whitehead,  "  we  see  the  first  rudiments 
of  the  future  economy  of  classes  and  bands."* 

In  this  respect  ho  probably  learned  something  from  the 
Moravians  and  the  whole  plan  fell  in  with  his  previous 

*  There  was  however  nothing  new  in  this.  Mr.  Wesley  had  doubt, 
less  hoard,  in  his  visit  to  London,  of  the  rt  lipious  societies  described 
Dy  Dr.  Woodward,  which  were  encouraged  by  the  more  serious  clergy, 
and  Iield  weekly  private  meetings  for  religious  edification.  It  is  pro- 
oable  that  he  liad  even  attended  such  meetings  in  the  metropolis. 
Wherever  mdced  a  revival  of  serious  religion  has  taken  place,  and 
ministers  liave  been  in  earnest  to  promote  it,  wo  see  similar  means 
adopted,  as  by  Baxter  at  Kidderminster,  during  his  eminently  sua 
eessful  ministry  there. 


REV.  JOHN  WESlET- 


39 


views  of  discipline  and  method.  Tlie  character  of  his 
mind  was  eminently  practical ;  he  was  in  earnest,  and  he 
valued  things  just  as  they  appeared  to  be  adapted  to  pro- 
mote the  edification  and  salvation  of  those  committed  to 
his  charge.  A  school  was  also  established  ;  and  the  chil- 
dren regularly  catechised  by  Mr.  Wesley,  both  in  private 
and  in  the  church.  Evening  meetings  for  the  more  serious 
were  also  held  at  his  house ;  so  actively  did  he  apply 
himself  not  only  to  the  public  services  of  the  sanctuarj',  but 
to  everj-  kind  of  engagement  by  which  he  might  make  "  full 
proof  of  his  ministry."  The  religious  state  of  his  own 
mind,  however,  remained  much  the  same.  He  saw  another 
striking  instance  of  the  power  of  faith,  in  the  peaceful  and 
edifying  death  of  one  of  the  Moravians  ;  and  had  another 
proof  that  he  himself  was  not  saved  from  "  the  fear  which 
hath  torment,"  in  a  severe  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning. 
Both  indicated  to  him  that  he  had  not  attained  the  state 
of  "  the  sons  of  God  ;"  but  his  views  were  still  perplexed 
and  obscure.  From  a  conversation  which  he  had  with 
some  Indians  who  had  visited  Savannah,  he  concluded  that 
the  way  M  as  opened  for  him  to  preach  among  the  Choc- 
taws,  and  this  he  Avas  desirous  of  attempting ;  but  as 
Savannah  would  have  been  left  without  a  minister,  the 
governor  objected  ;  and  his  friends  were  also  of  opinion, 
that  he  could  not  then  be  spared  from  the  colony. 

In  his  visits  to  Frederica  he  met  with  great  opposition 
and  much  illiberal  abuse  ;  in  Savannah  he  was,  however, 
rapidly  gaining  influence,  when  a  circumstance  occurred 
which  issued  in  his  departure  from  Georgia  altogether.  He 
had  fonned  an  attachment  to  an  accomplished  young  lady, 
a  Miss  Hopkey,*  niece  to  the  wife  of  Mr.  Causton,  the 
chief  magistrate  of  Savannah,  which  she  appears  to  have 
returned,  or  at  least  encouraged.  The  biographers  of  Mr. 
Wesley,  Dr.  Whitehead,  and  3Ir.  Moore,  differ  as  to  the 
fact,  whether  this  connection  was  broken  off  by  him,  or  by 
the  lady  herself  in  consequence  of  his  delays.  The  latter 
professes  to  have  received  the  whole  account  from  Mr. 
Wesley,  and  must  therefore  be  presumed  to  be  the  best 
authority.  From  this  statement  it  appears  that  Mr.  Dela- 
motte  suspected  the  sincerity  of  the  lady's  pretensions  to 
piety,  and  thought  his  friend  Mr.  Wesley,  whose  confiding 

*  Incorrectly  called  Miss  Oauston  by  Mr.  Wesley's  biograpliors. 


40 


tIFE  OF  THE 


and  unsuspecting  heart  prevented  him  at  all  times  from 
being  a  severe  judge  of  others,  was  Ukcly  to  be  the  victim 
of  artifices  which  he  had  not  the  skill  or  the  inchnation 
to  discern.  His  remonstrances  led  Mr.  Wesley  to  refer 
the  question  of  his  marriage  with  Miss  Hopkey  to  the  judg. 
ment  of  the  ciders  of  the  Moravian  Church,  which  he  thought 
he  was  at  liberty  to  do,  since  the  acquaintance,  though  it 
had  ripened  into  regard  and  thoughts  of  marriage,  had  not, 
it  seems,  proceeded  to  any  thing  determinate.  The  Mo- 
ravians advised  him  to  proceed  no  farther ;  and  his  con- 
duct toward  Miss  Hopkey  became  cautious  and  distant, 
very  naturally  to  her  mortification,  and  perhaps  pain. 
An  entry  in  his  journal  shows  that  he  had  a  consider, 
able  struggle  with  his  own  feelings,  and  that  his  sense  of 
duty  had  exacted  a  great  sacrifice  from  his  heart.  The 
lady  soon  afterward  married  a  Mr.  Williamson ;  but  a 
hostile  feeling  toward  him  had  been  left  in  the  minds  of 
her  friends,  which  the  gossiping  and  censorious  habits  of  a 
small  colony  would  not  fail  to  keep  alive.  Though  Mr. 
Wesley  did  not  certainly  see  her  married  to  another  with 
perfect  philosophy,  it  was  not  in  his  generous  nature  to 
allow  his  former  affection  to  turn  into  resentment,  which 
was  the  fault  subsequently  charged  upon  him ;  and  as  he 
Boon  saw  many  things  in  her  to  reprove,  it  is  probable  that 
lie  thought  his  escape  a  fortunate  one.  Perhaps,  consi- 
dering  the  singularity  of  his  habits  at  that  time,  it  was  well 
for  the  lady  also  ;  which  seems,  indeed,  jocosely  intimated 
in  a  passage  of  a  letter  of  his  brother  Samuel  to  him  on  the 
occasion, — "  I  am  soriy  you  are  disappointed  in  one  match, 
because  you  are  unlikely  to  find  another." 

An  opportunity  for  the  manifestation  of  the  secret  preju. 
dice  which  had  been  nourished  by  the  friends  of  the  niece 
of  Mrs.  Causton  was  afl^orded  in  about  five  months  after 
her  marriage.  Mr.  Wesley  adhered  to  the  rubric  of  the 
Church  of  England  as  to  the  administration  of  the  sacra- 
ment, Avithout  respect  of  persons,  and  with  arigidncss  which 
was  not  at  all  common.  He  repelled  those  whom  he 
thought  unworthy ;  and  when  any  one  had  neglected  the 
ordinance,  he  i-equired  him  to  signify  his  name  the  day 
before  he  intended  to  communicate  again.  Some  time 
after  Mrs.  WilHamson's  marriage,  he  discovered  several 
things  Avhich  he  thought  blamable  in  her  conduct.  These, 


RBV.  JOH^  WESLEY. 


41 


as  she  continued  to  communicate,  he  mentioned  to  her, 
and  she  in  return  became  angry.  For  reasons,  therefore, 
which  he  stated  to  her  in  a  letter,  he  repelled  her  from  the 
communion.  This  letter  was  written  by  desire  of  Mr. 
Causton,  who  wished  to  have  his  reasons  for  repelling  his 
niece  in  writing  : — 

"  At  Mr.  Causton's  request  I  write  once  more.  The 
rules  whereby  I  proceed  are  these  :  '  So  many  as  intend  to 
partake  of  the  holy  coiranunion  shall  signify  their  names 
to  the  curate,  at  least  some  time  the  day  before.'  This 
you  did  not  do. 

" '  And  if  any  of  these — have  done  any  wrong  to  his 
neighbour  by  word  or  deed,  so  that  the  congregation 
be  thereby  offended,  the  curate  shall  advertise  him,  that  in 
any  wise  he  presume  not  to  come  to  the  Lord's  table,  until 
he  hath  openly  declared  himself  to  have  truly  repented.' 

"  If  you  offer  yourself  at  the  Lord's  table  on  Sunday,  I 
will  advertise  you,  as  I  have  done  more  than  once,  wherein 
you  have  done  wrong  :  and  when  you  have  openly  declared 
yourself  to  have  tiiily  repented,  I  will  administer  to  you 
the  mysteries  of  God."  [Journal.) 

The  storm  now  broke  forth  upon  him.  A  warrant  was 
issued,  and  he  was  brought  before  the  recorder  and  magis- 
trates,  on  the  charges  of  Mr.  Williamson,  1 .  That  he  had 
defamed  his  wife.  2.  That  he  had  causelessly  repelled  her 
from  the  holy  communion.  Mr.  Wesley  denied  the  first 
charge ;  and  the  second  being  wholly  ecclesiastical,  he 
would  not  acknowledge  the  authority  of  the  magistrate  to 
decide  upon  it.  He  was  however  told  that  he  must  appear 
before  the  next  court,  holden  at  Savannah. 

The  Causton  family  became  now  most  active  in  their 
efforts  to  injure  him.  By  them  the  reason  why  Mr.  Wesley 
had  repelled  Mrs.  AVilliamson  from  the  Lord's  table  was 
stated  to  be  his  resentment  against  her  for  having  refused 
to  marry  him  ;  which  they  knew  to  be  contrary  to  the  fact. 
Garbled  extracts  of  his  letters  were  read  by  Caustou  to 
those  whom  he  could  collect  to  hear  them,  probably  in 
order  to  confirm  this  ;  and  Mrs.  WiUiamson  was  prevailed 
upon  to  swear  to  and  sign  a  paper  cantaining  assertions 
and  insinuations  injurious  to  his  character.  {Journal.) 

The  calm  courage  of  the  man  who  was  thus  so  violently 
and  unjustly  persecuted,  was  not  however  to  be  shaken. 
4* 


42 


UFE  OF  THE 


« I  sat  still  at  home,"  says  Mr.  Wesley, "  and  I  thank  God 

easy,  having  committed  my  cause  to  him,  and  remembered 
his  word,  '  Blessed  is  the  man  tliat  endureth  temptation  ; 
for  when  he  is  tried,  he  shall  receive  the  crown  of  hfe, 
which  the  Lord  hath  promised  to  them  that  love  him.'  " 
(Journal. ) 

As  the  sitting  of  the  com-t  drew  near,  Causton  used  every 
art  to  influence  the  grand  jury ;  and  when  they  met,  gave 
them  "  a  long  and  earnest  charge,  '  to  beware  of  spiritual 
tyi-anny,  and  to  oppose  the  new  illegal  authority  which  was 
usurped  over  their  consciences.'  Mrs.  Williamson's  afli. 
davit  was  read ;  and  he  then  delivered  to  them  a  paper, 
entitled,  A  list  of  grievances,  presented  by  the  grand  jury 

for  Savannah,  this  day  of  August,  1737.    In  the  after- 

noon  Mrs.  WilUamson  was  examined,  who  acknowledged 
that  she  had  no  objections  to  make  against  Mr.  Wesley's 
conduct  before  her  marriage.  Hie  next  day  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Causton  were  also  examined,  Avhen  she  confessed,  that  it 
was  by  her  request  Mr.  Wesley  had  written  to  Mrs.  Wil- 
liamson  on  the  5th  of  July :  and  Mr,  Causton  declared, 
that  if  Mr.  Wesley  had  asked  his  consent  to  have  married 
his  niece,  he  should  not  have  refused  it.  The  grand  jury 
continued  to  examine  these  ecclesiastical  grievances,  which 
occasioned  warm  debates  till  Thursday  ;  when  Mr.  Caus- 
ton being  informed  they  had  entered  on  matters  beyond  his 
instructions,  went  to  them,  and  behaved  in  such  a  manner, 
that  he  turned  forty-two,  out  of  the  forty-four,  into  a  fixed 
resolution  to  inquire  into  his  whole  behaviour.  They 
immediately  entered  on  that  business,  and  continued  ex- 
amining witnesses  all  day  on  Friday.  On  Saturday,  Mr. 
Causton  finding  all  his  efforts  to  stop  them  ineffectual, 
adjourned  the  court  till  Thursday,  the  first  of  September, 
and  spared  no  pains,  in  the  meantime,  to  bring  them  to 
another  mind.  September  1. — He  so  far  prevailed,  that  the 
majority  of  the  grand  jury  returned  the  list  of  grievances 
to  the  court,  in  some  particulars  altered,  under  the  form  of 
two  presentments,  containing  ten  bills,  only  two  of  which 
related  to  the  affair  of  Mrs.  Williamson  ;  and  only  one  of 
these  was  cognizable  by  that  court,  the  rest  being  merely 
ecclesiastical.  September  2. — Mr.  Wesley  addressed  the 
court  to  this  effect :  '  As  to  nine  of  the  ten  indictments 
against  me,  I  know  this  court  can  take  no  cognizance  of 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


43 


them  ;  they  being  matters  of  an  ecclesiastical  nature,  and 
this  not  an  ecclesiastical  court.  But  the  tenth,  concern- 
ing my  speaking  and  writing  to  Mrs.  Wilhamson,  is  of  a 
secular  nature ;  and  this  therefore  I  desire  may  be  tried 
here,  where  the  facts  complained  of  were  committed.' 
Little  answer  was  made,  and  that  purely  evasive. 

"In  the  afternoon  he  moved  the  court  again,  for  an 
immediate  trial  at  Savannah  ;  adding,  '  that  those  who  are 
offended  may  clearly  see  whether  I  have  done  any  wrong 
to  any  one ;  or  whether  I  have  not  rather  deserved  the 
thanks  of  Mrs.  Wilhamson,  Mr.  Causton,  and  of  the  whole 
family.'  Mr.  Causton's  answer  was  full  of  civiUty  and 
respect.  He  observed,  '  Perhaps  things  would  not  have 
been  carried  so  far  had  you  not  said,  you  behoved  if  Mr. 
Causton  appeared,  the  people  would  tear  liim  to  pieces ; 
not  so  much  out  of  love  to  you,  as  out  of  hatred  to  him 
for  his  abominable  practices.'  If  Mr.  Wesley  really  spake 
these  words,  he  was  certainly  very  imprudent,  considering 
the  circumstances  in  which  he  was  placed.  But  we  too 
often  find  in  disputes,  that  the  constructions  of  others  on 
what  has  been  said  are  reported  as  the  veiy  words  we  have 
spoken  ;  which  I  suspect  to  have  been  the  case  here.  Mr. 
Causton,  however,  sufficiently  discovered  the  motives  that 
influenced  his  conduct  in  this  business. 

"Twelve  of  the  grand  jurors  now  drew  up  a  protest 
against  the  proceedings  of  the  majority,  to  be  immediately 
sent  to  the  trustees  in  England.  In  this  paper  they  gave 
such  clear  and  satisfactory  reasons,  under  every  bill,  for 
their  dissent  from  the  majority,  as  effectually  did  away  all 
just  ground  of  complaint  against  Mr.  Wesley,  on  the  sub- 
jects of  the  prosecution."  {WhUehead''s  Life.) 

"He  attended  the  court  holden  on  November  the  thii-d: 
and  again  at  the  court  held  on  the  twenty-third ;  urging 
an  immediate  hearing  of  his  case,  that  he  might  have  an 
opportunity  of  answering  the  allegations  alleged  against 
him.  But  this  the  magisti-ates  refused,  and  at  the  same 
time  countenanced  every  report  to  his  disadvantage  :  whe- 
ther it  was  a  mere  invention,  or  founded  on  a  maUcious  con- 
struction of  any  thing  he  did  or  said.  Mr.  Wesley  perceiv- 
ing that  he  had  not  the  most  distant  prospect  of  obtaining 
justice  ;  that  he  was  in  a  place  where  those  in  power  were 
combined  together  to  oppress  him;  and  could  any  day, 


44 


IIFE  OP  THE 


procure  evidence  (as  experience  had  sho\vn)  of  words  he 
had  never  spoken,  and  of  actions  he  had  never  done ;  be- 
ing disappointed,  too,  in  the  primary  object  of  his  mission, 
preaching  to  the  Indians ;  he  consulted  his  friends  what  he 
ought  to  do  ;  who  were  of  opinion  with  him,  that  by  these 
circumstances  Providence  did  now  call  him  to  leave  Sa- 
vannah.  The  next  day  he  called  on  Mr.  Causton,  and 
told  him  he  designed  to  set  out  for  England  immediately." 
(Whitehead's  Life.) 

The  magistrates  made  a  show  of  forbidding  him  to  leave 
the  colony  ;  but  he  embarked  openly,  after  having  pubhcly 
advertised  his  intention,  no  man  interposing  to  prevent 
him ;  one  leading  object  of  these  persecutions  being  to 
drive  him  away.  His  sermons  had  been  too  faithful,  and 
his  reproofs  too  poignant,  to  make  his  continuance  desir- 
able to  the  majority  of  an  irreligious  colony.* 

The  root  of  all  this  opposition  no  don'ot  lay  in  the  enmity 
of  his  hearers  to  truth  and  holiness  ;  but  its  manifestation 
might  be  occasioned  in  part  by  the  strictness  with  which 
he  acted  upon  obsolete  branches  of  ecclesiastical  discipline, 
and  the  unbending  manner  in  which  he  insisted  upon  hia 
spiritual  authority.  In  the  affair  of  Mrs.  Williamson,  he 
stands  perfectly  exculpated  from  the  base  motives  which 
his  enemies  charged  upon  him ;  but  in  the  first  stages,  it 
neither  appears  to  have  been  managed  with  prudence,  nor 

[*  Th(!  affair  abovo  expLiinoJ,  nml  other  matters  respecting  Mr. 
Woslf^y  in  Gnorfji  i,  hnvo  boon  niosl.  unfairly  and  unjustly  represented 
in  various  iliihsral  nublical  ions,  and  particularly  in  Lompriere's  Bio. 
graphical  Dictioiii'.ry,  and  Halo's  History  of  the  United  States.  The 
injustice  done  to  Mr.  Wesley's  memory  in  the  latter  work  is  the  more 
especially  roprohciisiblc,  as  pains  have  been  taken  to  introduce  it 
extensively  into  "schools."  In  this  way  many  a  youthful  mind 
becomes  projjossessed  witli  strong  early  prejudice  against  one  of  the 
most  devotsd  and  the  most  honoured  ambassadors  for  Christ  that  has 
ever  graced  any  ago  or  nation,  sinco  the  days  of  the  holy  apostles. 
The  influence  of  such  prejudices  extends  itself  in  after  life  as  well  to 
IhcClirlstivn  dononiination  generally  of  which  that  eminent  man  was, 
under  God,  the  I''nuudl^r,  as  to  his  own  memory.  This  the  contrivers 
of  s\ich  scJiool  publications  well  know  ;  and  it  is  this  effect  of  such 
books  particularly  that  greatly  aggravates  the  injustice  and  the  mis- 
chief, as  it  tends,  in  fact,  seriously  to  impede  the  spread  of  the  Gospel 
itself.  In  tlicso  circumstances  it  is  with  peculiar  pleasure  that  we  are 
now  enabled  to  issue  a  Life  of  Wesley,  which,  as  well  from  the  cele. 
brity  of  its  eminent  author  and  its  own  intrinsic  excellence,  as  from 
its  remarkable  cheapness,  will,  we  doubt  not,  have  a  most  extonsiva 
circulation. — American  Edit.] 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


45 


a  proper  degree  of  Christian  courtesy.  His  enemies  have 
sneered  at  Ills  declaration,  that,  after  he  left  Georgia,  he 
discovered  that  he  who  went  out  to  teach  others  Christianity 
was  not  a  Christian  himself;  but  had  he  been  a  Christian 
in  that  full,  evangelical  sense,  which  he  meant ;  had  he  been 
that  which  he  afterward  became,  not  only  would  the  exclu- 
sion of  Mrs.  Williamson  from  the  sacrament  have  been  ef- 
fected in  another  manner,  but  his  mission  to  Georgia  would 
probably  have  had  a  very  diflerent  result.  His  preaching 
was  defective  in  that  one  great  point,  which  gives  to  preach- 
ing its  real  power  over  the  heart,  "  Christ  crucified ;"  and 
his  spirit,  although  naturally  frank  and  amiable,  was  not 
regenerated  by  that  "  power  from  on  high,"  the  first  and 
leading  fruits  of  which  are  meekness  and  charity. 

In  the  midst  of  his  trials,  Mr.  Wesley  received  veiy  con- 
solatory  letters  from  his  friends,  both  in  England  and  in 
America;  and  there  were  many  in  Georgia  itself  who 
rightly  estimated  the  character  and  the  labours  of  a  man 
who  held  five  or  six  public  services  on  the  Lord's  day,  in 
EngUsh,  ItaUan,  and  French,  for  the  benefit  of  a  mixed 
population ; — who  spent  his  whole  time  in  works  of  piety 
and  mercy,  and  who  distributed  his  income  so  profusely  in 
charity  that,  for  many  months  together,  he  had  not  "  one 
shilling  in  the  house."  His  health,  whilst  in  America,  con- 
tinued good  ;  and  it  is  in  proof  of  the  natural  vigour  of  his 
constitution,  that  he  exposed  himself  to  every  change  of 
season,  frequently  slept  on  the  ground,  under  the  dews  of 
the  night  in  summer,  and  in  winter  with  his  hair  and  clothes 
frozen  to  the  earth.  He  arrived  in  London,  Fcbmary  3d, 
1738,  anel,  notwithstanding  his  many  exercises,  i-eviewed 
the  result  of  his  American  labours  with  some  satisfaction  : 
— "  Many  reasons  I  have  to  bless  God  for  my  having  been 
carried  into  that  strange  land  contrary  to  all  my  preceding 
resolutions.  Hereby  I  trust  he  hath  in  some  measure 
*  humbled  me,  and  proved  me,  and  shown  me  what  was  in 
my  heart.'  Hereby  I  have  been  taught  to  '  beware  of  men.' 
Hereby  God  has  given  me  to  know  many  of  his  servants, 
particularly  those  of  the  Church  of  Hemhuth.  Hereby  my 
passage  is  open  to  the  writings  of  ho\y  men,  in  the  Ger- 
man, Spanish,  and  ItaUan  tongues.  AU  in  Georgia  have 
heard  the  word  of  God ;  some  have  believed,  and  began 
to  run  well.    A  few  steps  have  been  taken  toward  pub- 


46 


IIFE  OF  THE 


liahing  the  glad  tidings  both  to  the  African  and  American 
Heathens.  Many  children  have  learned  '  how  they  ought 
to  serve  God,'  and  to  be  useful  to  their  neighbour.  And 
those  whom  it  most  concerns  have  an  opportunity  of  know- 
ing the  state  of  their  infant  colony,  and  laying  a  finner  foun- 
dation of  peace  and  happiness  to  many  generations." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  solemn  review  which  Mr.  Wesley  made  of  the  state 
of  his  religious  experience,  both  on  his  voyage  home,  and 
soon  after  his  landing  in  England,  deserves  to  be  particu- 
larly noticed,  both  for  general  instruction,  and  because  it 
stands  in  immediate  connection  with  a  point  which  has 
especially  perplexed  those  who  have  attributed  his  charges 
against  liimself,  as  to  the  deficiency  of  his  Christianity  at 
this  period,  to  a  strange  and  fanatical  fancy.  By  the  most 
infallible  of  proofs,  he  tells  us, — that  of  his  feeUngs, — he 
was  convinced  of  his  having  "no  such  faith  in  Christ"  as 
prevented  his  lieart  from  being  troubled  ;  and  he  earnestly 
prays  to  be  "saved  by  such  a  faith  as  implies  peace  in  life 
and  death."  "  I  went  to  America  to  convert  the  Indians; 
but  O,  who  shall  convert  me !  Who  is  he  that  will  deliver 
me  from  this  evil  heart  of  unbelief?  I  have  a  fair  summer 
religion ;  I  can  talk  well,  nay,  and  beheve  myself,  while 
no  danger  is  present ;  but  let  death  look  me  in  the  face, 
and  my  spirit  is  troubled,  nor  can  I  say,  '  To  die  is  gain.' 

'  I  have  a  sin  of  fear,  that  when  I've  spun 
My  last  thread,  I  shall  perish  on  the  shore.' " 

He  thought  therefore  that  a  faith  was  attainable,  which 
should  deliver  him  entirely  from  guilty  dread,  and  fill  hijn 
with  peace ;  but  of  this  faith  itself,  his  notions  were  still 
confused.  He  manifestly  regarded  it,  generally,  as  a 
principle  of  beUef  in  the  Gospel,  which,  by  quickening  his 
efforts  to  self-mortification  and  entire  obedience,  would 
raise  him,  through  a  renewed  state  of  heart,  into  acceptance 
and  peace  with  God.  This  error  is  common.  It  regards 
faith,  not  so  much  as  the  personal  trust  of  a  guilty  and  help- 
less sinner  upon  Christ  for  salvation  and  all  the  gifts  of 
spiritual  fife,  but  as  working  out  sanctifying  effects  in  the 
heart  and  life,  partly  by  natural,  partly  by  supernatural 


HEV.  JOHN  WESIET. 


47 


process,  and  thus  producing  peace  of  conscience.  But  he 
goes  on  with  this  interesting  history  of  his  heart. 

"  I  was  early  warned  against  laying  too  much  stress  on 
outward  works,  as  the  Papists  do,  or  on  a  faith  without 
works,  which,  as  it  does  not  include,  so  it  will  never  lead 
to,  true  hope  or  charity,"  (Journal.) 

Here  he  manifestly  confounds  the  faith  by  which  a  man 
is  justified,  wluch  certainly  does  not  "  include"  in  itself 
the  moral  effects  of  which  he  speaks,  with  the  faith  of  a 
man  who  is  in  a  justified  state,  Avhich  necessarily  produces 
them  because  of  that  vital  union  into  which  it  brings  him 
with  Christ,  his  Saviour,  by  whom  he  is  saved  from  the 
power  and  love,  as  well  as  from  the  guilt,  of  sin. 

"  I  fell  among  some  Lutheran  and  Calvinist  authors, 
whose  confused  and  indigested  accounts  magnified  faith 
to  such  an  amazing  size,  that  it  quite  hid  all  the  rest  of 
the  commandments."  (Journal.) 

This  is  perhaps  a  proof  that  he  did  not  understand  these 
writers,  any  more  than  he  did  the  Moravians  in  Georgia, 
who  failed  to  enlighten  him  on  the  subject  of  faith,  although 
he  saw  that  they  in  fact  possessed  a  "  peace  through  believ- 
ing," which  he  had  not,  and  yet  painfully  felt  to  be  neces- 
sary. The  writers  he  mentions  probably  represented  faith 
only  as  neccssaiy  to  justification ;  whilst  he  conceived  them 
to  teach,  that  faith  only  is  necessary  to  final  salvation. 

"  The  EngUsh  writers,  such  as  Bishop  Beveridge, 
Bishop  Taylor,  and  Mr.  Nelson,  a  little  reUeved  me  from 
these  well-meaning,  wrong-headed  Germans.  Their  ac- 
counts of  Christianity  I  could  easily  see  to  be,  in  the  main, 
consistent  both  with  reason  and  Scripture."  (Journal.) 

Beveridge  would  have  met  his  case  more  fully  than 
either  Taylor  or  Nelson,  had  he  been  in  a  state  of  mind 
to  comprehend  liim ;  and  still  better  would  he  have  been 
instructed  by  studying,  with  as  much  care  as  he  examined 
Taylor  and  Law,  the  HomiUes  of  his  own  Church,  and 
the  worlis  of  her  older  divines. 

The  writings  of  the  fathers  then  promised  to  give  him 
farther  satisfaction  ;  but  to  them  he  at  length  took  various 
exceptions.  He  finally  resorted  to  the  Mystic  writers, 
"  whose  noble  descriptions  of  union  with  God,  and  inter- 
nal religion,  made  every  thing  else  appear  mean,  flat,  and 
insipid.  But  in  truth  they  made  good  works  appear  so  too, 


48 


IiIFB  OF  THB 


yea,  and  faith  itself,  and  what  not  ?  These  gave  me  an 
entire  now  view  of  reUgion,  nothing  Uke  any  I  had  before. 
But,  alas !  it  was  nothing  Uke  that  reUgion  which  Christ 
and  his  apostles  Uved  and  taught.  I  had  a  plenary  dis. 
peusation  from  all  the  commands  of  God ;  the  form  ran 
thus,  '  Love  is  all ;  all  the  commands  beside  are  only 
means  of  love  ;  you  must  choose  those  which  you  feel  aro 
means  to  you,  and  use  them  as  long  as  they  are  so.'  Thus 
were  all  the  bands  burst  at  once.  And  though  I  could 
never  fully  come  into  this,  nor  contentedly  omit  what  God 
enjoined,  yet,  I  know  not  how,  I  fluctuated  between  obe- 
dience and  disobedience.  I  had  no  heart,  no  vigour,  no 
zeal  in  obeying,  continually  doubting  whether  I  was  right 
or  wrong,  and  never  out  of  perplexities  and  entanglements. 
Nor  can  I  at  this  hour  give  a  distinct  account  how  or  when 
I  came  a  little  back  toward  the  right  way ;  only  my  present 
sense  is  this  : — all  the  other  enemies  of  Christianity  are 
triflers ;  the  Mystics  are  the  most  dangerous  of  its  ene- 
mies. They  stab  it  in  the  vitals ;  and  its  most  seiious 
professors  are  most  hkely  to  fall  by  them.  May  I  praise 
Him  who  hath  snatched  me  out  of  this  fire  likewise,  by 
warning  all  others  that  it  is  set  on  fire  of  hell !"  (Journal.) 

He  was,  however,  delivered  from  the  eiTors  of  the  Mys- 
tics,  only  to  be  brought  back  to  the  point  from  which  he 
set  out ;  but  his  humble  conclusion  from  the  whole  shows 
that  the  end  of  this  long  and  painful  struggle  was  about 
to  be  accomplished  : — he  was  now  brought  fully  to  feel 
and  confess  his  utter  helplessness,  and  was  not  "  far  from 
the  kingdom  of  God." 

"  And  now,"  says  he,  "  it  is  upward  of  tAVo  years  since 
I  left  my  native  country,  in  order  to  teach  the  Georgia 
Indians  the  nature  of  Christianity  ;  but  what  have  I  learn- 
ed myself  in  the  meantime  ?  Why,  (what  I  least  of  all 
suspected,)  that  I,  who  went  to  America  to  convert  others, 
was  never  converted  myself.  '  I  am  not  mad,'  though  I 
thus  speak  ;  but  '  speak  the  Avords  of  truth  and  soberness ;' 
if  haply  some  of  those  who  still  dream  may  aAvake,  and 
see,  that  as  I  am,  so  are  they. 

"  Are  they  read  in  philosophy  ?  So  was  I.  In  ancient 
or  modern  tongues  ?  So  was  I  also.  Are  they  versed  in 
the  science  of  divinity  ?  I  too  have  studied  it  many  years. 
Can  they  talk  fluently  upon  spiritual  things  ?    The  very 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


49 


same  I  could  do.  Are  they  plenteous  in  alms  ?  Behold, 
I  give  all  my  goods  to  feed  the  poor. 

"  Do  thcv  give  of  their  labour  as  well  as  their  substance  ? 
I  have  laboured  more  abundantly  than  they  all.  Are  they 
wiiUng  to  suffer  for  their  brethren  ?  I  have  thrown  up  my 
friends,  reputation,  ease,  countr}' ;  I  have  put  my  life  in  my 
hand,  wandering  into  strange  lands ;  I  have  given  my  body 
to  be  devoured  by  the  deep,  parched  up  Avith  heat,  con- 
sumed by  toil  and  weariness,  or  whatever  God  shall  please 
to  bring  upon  me.  But  does  all  this  (be  it  more  or  less,  it 
matters  not)  make  me  acceptable  to  God  ?  Does  all  I 
ever  did,  or  can  know,  say,  give,  do,  or  suffer,  justify  me 
in  his  sight  ?  yea,  or  the  constant  use  of  all  the  means  of 
grace  ?  (M'hich,  nevertheless,  is  meet,  right,  and  our 
bounden  duty,)  or  that  I  know  nothing  of  myself,  that  I 
am,  as  touching  outward,  moral  righteousness,  blameless  ? 
or,  to  come  closer  yet,  the  having  a  rational  conviction  of 
all  the  truths  of  Christianity  ?  Does  all  this  give  a  claim 
to  the  holy,  heavenly,  Divine  character  of  a  Christian  ?  By 
no  means.  If  the  oracles  of  God  are  true,  if  we  are  still 
to  abide  by  '  the  law  and  the  testimony,'  all  these  things, 
though  when  ennobled  by  faith  in  Christ,  they  are  holy, 
and  just,  and  good,  yet  without  it  are  '  dung  and  dross.' 

"  This  then  have  I  learned  in  the  ends  of  the  earth,  that 
I  am  '  fallen  short  of  the  glory  of  God ;'  that  my  whole 
heart  is  '  altogether  corrupt  and  abominable,'  and,  conse- 
quently, my  whole  life ;  (seeing  it  cannot  be,  that  '  an  evil 
tree'  should  '  bring  forth  good  fruit ;')  that  my  own  works, 
my  own  sufferings,  my  own  righteousness,  are  so  far  from 
reconciling  me  to  an  offended  God,  so  far  from  making 
any  atonement  for  the  least  of  those  sins  which  '  are  more 
in  number  than  the  hairs  of  my  head,'  that  the  most  spe- 
cious of  them  need  an  atonement  themselves,  or  they  can- 
not abide  his  righteous  judgment ;  that  having  the  sen- 
tence of  death  in  my  heart,  and  having  nothing  in  or  of 
myself  to  plead,  I  have  no  hope  but  that  of  being  justified 
freely  '  through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Jesus ;'  I  have 
no  hope,  but  that  if  I  seek  I  shall  find  the  Christ,  and  '  be 
found  in  him,  not  having  my  own  righteousness,  but  that 
which  is  through  the  faith  of  Christ,  the  righteousness 
which  is  of  God  by  faith.' 

"  If  it  be  said  that  I  have  faith,  (for  many  such  things 
6 


50 


UFE  OF  THE 


have  I  heard  from  many  miserable  comforters,)  I  answer, 
So  have  the  devils — a  sort  of  faith ;  but  still  they  are 
strangers  to  the  covenant  of  promise.  So  the  apostles 
had  even  at  Cana  in  Gahlee,  when  Jesus  first  '  manifested 
forth  his  glory ;'  even  then  they,  in  a  sort,  '  beUeved  on 
him  ;'  but  they  had  not  then  '  the  faith  that  overcometh  the 
world.'  The  faith  I  want  is  'a  sure  trust  and  confidence 
in  God,  that,  through  the  merits  of  Christ,  my  sins  are  for- 
given,  and  I  reconciled  to  the  favour  of  God.'  I  want  that 
faith  which  St.  Paul  recommends  to  all  the  world,  espe- 
cially  in  his  epistle  to  the  Romans, — that  faith  which  ena- 
bles every  one  that  hath  it  to  cry  out,  '  I  live  not ;  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me ;  and  the  life  which  I  now  live,  I  live 
by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me,  and  gave  him- 
self  for  me.'  I  want  that  faith  which  none  has,  without 
knowing  that  he  hath  it ;  (though  many  imagine  they  have 
it,  who  have  it  not ;)  for  whosoever  hath  it  is  freed  from 
sin  ;  the  whole  '  body  of  sin  is  destroyed'  in  him  :  he  is 
freed  from  fear,  '  having  peace  with  God  through  Christ, 
and  rejoicing  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God.'  And  he  is 
freed  from  doubt,  '  having  the  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in 
his  heart,  through  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  given  unto 
him ;  which  Spirit  itself  bcareth  witness  with  his  spirit, 
that  he  is  a  child  of  God.'  "  (Journal.) 

A  spirit  thus  breathing  after  God,  and  anxious  to  be 
taught  "  the  way  of  God  more  perfectly,"  could  not  be 
left  in  its  darkness  and  soUcitude.  A  few  days  after  his 
arrival  in  London,  he  met  with  Peter  Bohler,  a  minister  of 
the  Moravian  Church.  This  was  on  February  7th,  which 
he  marks  as  "  a  day  much  to  be  remembered,"  because 
the  conversation  which  he  had  with  Bohler  on  the  subject 
of  saving  faith,  a  subject  probably  brought  on  by  himself, 
first  opened  his  mind  to  true  views  on  that  subject,  not- 
withstanding the  objections  with  which  he  assaulted  the 
statements  of  the  Moravian  teacher,  and  which  caused 
Bohler  more  than  once  to  exclaim,  "  My  brother,  that 
philosophy  of  yours  must  be  purged  away."  At  Oxford, 
whither  he  had  gone  to  visit  Charles,  who  was  sick,  he 
again  met  with  his  Moravian  friend,  "  by  whom,"  he  says, 
"  in  the  hand  of  the  great  God,  I  was  clearly  convinced 
of  unbelief,  of  the  want  of  that  faith  whereby  alone  we  are 
saved  with  the  full  Christian  salvation." 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


61 


«  He  was  now  convinced  that  his  faith  had  been  too 
much  separated  from  an  evangeUcal  view  of  the  promises 
of  a  free  justification,  or  pardon  of  sin,  through  the  atone- 
ment  and  mediation  of  Christ  alone,  which  was  the  reason 
why  he  had  been  held  in  continual  bondage  and  fear." 
(Whitehead's  Life.)  In  a  few  days  he  met  Peter  Bohler 
again, — "  who  now,"  he  says,  "  amazed  me  more  and  more, 
by  the  account  he  gave  of  the  fruits  of  living  faith,  the  hoU- 
ness  and  happiness  which  he  affirmed  to  attend  it.  The 
next  morning  I  began  the  Greek  Testament  again,  resolv- 
ing to  abide  by '  the  law  and  the  testimony,'  being  confident 
that  God  would  hereby  show  me  whether  this  doctrine  was 
of  God."  (Journal.) 

In  a  fourth  conversation  with  this  excellent  man,  he  was 
still  more  confirmed  in  the  view,  "  that  faith  is,  to  use  the 
words  of  our  Church,  a  sure  trust  and  confidence  which  a 
man  has  in  God,  that,  through  the  merit  of  Christ,  his  sins 
are  forgiven,  and  he  reconciled  to  the  favour  of  God." 
Some  of  his  objections  to  Bohler's  statements  on  instanta- 
neous conversion  were  also  removed  by  a  diligent  exami- 
nation  of  the  Scriptures.  "  I  had,"  he  observes,  "  but  one 
retreat  left  on  this  subject :  Thus,  I  grant  God  wrought  in 
the  first  ages  of  Christianity ;  but  the  times  are  changed. 
What  reason  have  I  to  believe  he  works  in  the  same  man- 
ner noAv?  But,  on  Sunday,  22d,  I  was  beat  out  of  this 
retreat,  too,  by  the  concurring  evidence  of  several  living 
witnesses,  who  testified  God  had  so  wrought  in  themselves, 
giving  them,  in  a  moment,  such  a  faith  in  the  blood  of  his 
Son  as  translated  them  out  of  darkness  into  light,  and  from 
sin  and  fear  into  holiness  and  happiness.  Here  ended  my 
disputing.  I  could  now  only  cry  out,  •  Lord,  help  thou  my 
unbeUef !' " 

He  now  began  to  declare  that  doctrine  of  faith  which  he 
had  been  taught ;  and  those  who  were  convinced  of  sin 
gladly  received  it.  He  was  also  much  confirmed  in  the 
truth  by  hearing  the  experience  of  Mr.  Hutchins  of  Pem- 
broke College,  and  Mrs.  Fox  :  "Two  living  witnesses," 
he  says,  "  that  God  can,  at  least,  if  he  does  not  always, 
give  that  faith  whereof  cometh  salvation  in  a  moment,  as 
lightning  falling  from  heaven."  (Journal.) 

Mr.  Wesley  and  a  few  others  now  formed  theraselvea 
into  a  religious  society,  which  met  in  Fetter-lane.  But 


63 


LIFE  OF  THE 


although  they  thus  assembled  with  the  Moravians,  they 
remained  members  of  the  Church  of  England  ;  and  after- 
ward, when  some  of  the  Moravian  teachers  introduced  new 
doctrines,  Mr.  Wesley  and  his  friends  separated  from  them, 
and  formed  that  distinct  community  which  has  since  been 
known  as  "The  Methodist  Society."  The  rules  of  the 
Fetter-lane  Society  were  printed  under  the  title  of  "  Orders 
of  a  Religious  Society,  meeting  in  Fetter-lane  ;  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  command  of  God  by  St.  James,  and  by  the 
advice  of  Peter  Bohler,  1738." 

As  yet  Mr.  Wesley  had  not  attained  the  blessing  for 
which  he  so  earnestly  sought,  and  now  Avith  clearer  viewp. 
His  language  as  to  himself,  though  still  that  of  complaint, 
was  become,  in  truth,  the  language  of  a  broken  and  a  con- 
trite  heart.  It  was  no  longer  in  the  tone  of  a  man,  disap- 
pointed  as  to  the  results  of  his  own  efforts,  and  thrown  into 
distressing  perplexity,  as  not  knowing  where  to  tui'n  for 
help.  He  was  now  bowed  in  lowly  sorrow  before  the 
throne ;  but  he  knew  that  it  was  "  the  throne  of  grace ;"  and 
his  cry  was  that  of  the  publican,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me 
a  sinner."    In  a  letter  to  a  friend,  he  says, — 

"  I  feel  what  you  say,  though  not  enough ;  for  I  am  under 
the  same  condemnation.  I  see  that  the  whole  law  of  God 
is  holy,  just,  and  good.  I  know  every  thought,  eveiy  tem- 
per of  my  soul,  ought  to  bear  God's  image  and  superscrip. 
lion.  But  how  am  I  fallen  from  the  glory  of  God !  I  feel 
that  '  I  am  sold  under  sin.'  I  know  that  I  too  deserve 
nothing  but  wrath,  being  full  of  all  abominations,  and  having 
no  good  thing  in  me  to  atone  for  them,  or  to  remove  the 
wrath  of  God.  All  my  works,  my  righteousness,  my  pray- 
ers, need  an  atonement  for  themselves.  So  that  my  mouth 
is  stopped.  I  have  nothing  to  plead.  God  is  holy:  I  am 
unholy.  God  is  a  consuming  fire  :  I  am  altogether  a  sin- 
ner,  meet  to  be  consumed. 

"  Yet  I  hear  a  voice,  (and  is  it  not  the  voice  of  God  ?) 
saying, '  Believe  and  thou  shalt  be  saved.  He  that  believeth 
is  passed  from  death  unto  life.  God  so  loved  the  world, 
that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believ- 
eth on  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life' " 
(Journal.) 

In  this  state  of  mind  he  continued  till  May  the  24th,  1738, 
and  then  gives  the  following  account  of  his  conversion : — 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


53 


"  I  think,  it  was  about  five  this  morning,  that  I  opened 
my  Testament  on  those  words,  '  There  are  given  unto  us 
exceeding  great  and  precious  promises,  that  by  these  ye 
might  be  partakers  of  the  Divine  nature,'  2  Pet.  i,  4.  Just 
as  I  went  out,  I  opened  it  again  on  those  words,  'Thou  art 
not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God.'  In  the  afternoon  I  was 
asked  to  go  to  St.  Paul's.  The  anthem  w  as,  '  Out  of  the 
deep  have  I  called  unto  thee,  O  Lord  :  Lord,  hear  my  voice. 
O  let  thine  ears  consider  well  the  voice  of  my  complaint. 
If  thou.  Lord,  wilt  be  extreme  to  mark  what  is  done  amiss, 
O  Lord,  who  may  abide  it  ?  But  there  is  mercy  with  thee  ; 
therefore  thou  shalt  be  feared.  O  Israel,  trust  in  the  Lord, 
for  with  the  Lord  there  is  mercy,  and  with  him  is  plen- 
teous redemption.  And  he  shall  redeem  Israel  from  all 
his  sins.' 

"  In  the  evening  I  went  very  unwillingly  to  a  society  in 
Aldersgate-street,  where  one  was  reading  Luther's  preface 
to  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  About  a  quarter  before  nine, 
while  he  was  describing  the  change  which  God  works  in 
the  heart  through  faith  in  Christ,  I  felt  my  heart  strangely 
wai'med.  I  felt  I  did  trust  in  Christ,  Christ  alone  for  sal- 
vation :  and  an  assurance  was  given  me,  that  he  had  taken 
away  my  sins,  even  mine,  and  saved  me  from  '  the  law  of 
sin  and  death.' 

"  I  began  to  pray  with  all  my  might,  for  those  who  had 
in  a  more  especial  manner  de^pitefuUy  used  me,  and  perse- 
cuted me.  I  then  testified  openly  to  all  there,  what  I  now 
first  felt  in  my  heart.  But  it  was  not  long  before  the  ene- 
my suggested, '  This  cannot  be  faith,  for  where  is  thy  joy  V 
Then  w  as  I  taught,  that  peace  and  victory  over  sin  are  es- 
sential  to  faith  in  the  Captain  of  ovu'  salvation  :  but,  that  as 
to  the  transports  of  joy,  that  usually  attend  the  beginning 
of  it,  especially  in  those  who  have  mourned  deeply,  God 
sometimes  giveth,  sometimes  withholdeth  them,  according 
to  the  counsels  of  his  own  will."  (Journal.) 

After  this  he  had  some  struggles  with  doubt ;  but  he 
proceeded  from  "  strength  to  strength,"  till  he  could  say, 
"  Now  I  was  always  conquei'or."  His  experience,  nur- 
tured by  habitual  prayer,  and  deepened  by  unw^earied  exer- 
tion in  the  cause  of  his  Saviour,  settled  into  that  steadfast 
faith  and  solid  peace,  which  the  grace  of  God  perfected  in 
him  to  the  close  of  his  long  and  active  life. 

5* 


54 


UFB  OF  THB 


His  brother  Charles  was  also  made  partaker  of  the  same 
grace.  They  had  passed  together  through  the  briers  and 
thorns,  through  the  perplexities  and  shadows  of  the  legal 
wilderness,  and  the  hour  of  their  dehverance  was  not  far 
separated.  Bohler  visited  Charles  in  his  sickness  at  Ox- 
ford,  but  "  the  pharisee  within"  was  somewhat  offended 
when  the  honest  German  shook  his  head  at  learning  that 
his  hope  of  salvation  rested  upon  "his  best  endeavours." 
After  his  recovery,  the  reading  of  Halyburton's  Life  pro- 
duced  in  him  a  sense  of  his  want  of  that  faith  which  brings 
"  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  Bohler  visited  him 
again  in  London,  and  he  began  seriously  to  consider  the 
doctrine  which  he  urged  upon  him.  His  convictions  of  his 
state  of  danger,  as  a  man  unjustified  before  God,  and  of 
his  need  of  the  faith  wbereof  cometh  salvation,  increased, 
and  he  spent  his  whole  time  in  discoursing  on  these  sub- 
jects, in  prayer,  and  reading  the  Scriptures.  Luther  on 
the  Galatians  then  fell  into  his  hands,  and  on  reading  the 
preface  he  observes : — 

"  I  marvelled  that  we  were  so  soon  and  entirely  removed 
from  him  that  called  us  into  the  grace  of  Christ,  unto  an- 
other  Gospel.  Who  would  believe  that  our  Church  had 
been  founded  on  this  important  article  of  justification  by 
faith  alone  ?  I  am  astonished  I  should  ever  think  this  a 
new  doctrine ;  especially  while  our  Articles  and  Homihes 
stand  unrepealed,  and  the  key  of  knowledge  is  not  yet 
taken  away.  From  this  time  I  endeavoured  to  ground  as 
many  of  our  friends  as  came  to  see  me  in  this  fundamental 
truth, — salvation  by  faith  alone, — not  an  idle,  dead  faith, 
but  a  faith  which  works  by  love,  and  is  incessantly  produc- 
live  of  all  good  works  and  all  holiness."  (Journal.) 

"  On  Whit  Sunday,  May  21st,  he  awoke  m  hope  and 
expectation  of  soon  attaining  the  object  ol  his  wishes,  the 
knowledge  of  God  reconciled  in  Christ  Jesus.  At  nine 
o'clock  his  brother  and  some  friends  came  to  him  and  sung 
a  hymn  suited  to  the  day.  When  they  left  him  he  betook 
himself  to  prayer.  Soon  afterward  a  person  came  and 
said,  in  a  very  solemn  manner,  '  Beheve  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  and  thou  shalt  be  healed  of  all  thine 
infirmities.'  The  words  went  through  his  heart,  and  ani- 
mated him  with  confidence.  He  looked  into  the  Scripture, 
and  read, '  Now  Lord,  what  is  my  hope  ?  truly  my  hope  is 


REV.  JOHN  WBSLET. 


55 


even  in  thee.'  He  then  cast  his  eye  on  these  words, 
'  He  hath  put  a  new  song  into  my  mouth,  even  thanks- 
giving unto  our  God ;  many  shall  see  it  and  fear,  and  put 
their  trust  in  the  Lord.'  Afterward  he  opened  upon 
Isaiah  xl,  1  :  '  Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people,  saith 
our  God ;  speak  comfortably  to  .Jerusalem,  and  ciy  unto 
her,  that  her  warfare  is  accomphshed,  that  her  iniquity  is 
pardoned,  for  she  hath  received  of  the  Lord's  hand  double 
for  all  her  sins.'  In  reading  these  passages  of  Scripture, 
he  was  enabled  to  view  Christ  as  set  forth  to  be  a  propi- 
tiation for  his  sins,  through  faith  in  his  blood ;  and  he 
received  that  peace  and  rest  in  God  which  he  had  so 
earnestly  sought. 

"The  next  day  he  greatly  rejoiced  in  reading  the  107th 
Psalm,  so  nobly  descriptive,  he  observes,  of  what  God  had 
done  for  his  soul.  He  had  a  very  humbling  view  of  his 
own  weakness  ;  but  was  enabled  to  contemplate  Chi'ist  in 
his  power  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  those  who  come  unto 
God  by  him."  (WhiteJiead^s  Life.) 

Such  was  the  manner  in  which  these  excellent  men, 
whom  God  had  been  long  preparing  for  the  great  work  of 
reviving  Scriptural  Christianity  throughout  these  lands, 
were  at  length  themselves  brought  "into  the  liberty  of  the 
sons  of  God."  On  the  account  thus  given,  a  few  observa- 
tions may  not  be  misplaced. 

It  is  easy  to  assail  with  ridicule  such  disclosures  of  the 
exercises  of  minds  impressed  with  the  great  concern  of 
salvation,  and  seeking  for  deliverance  from  a  load  of  anxi- 
ety in  "  a  way  which  they  had  not  known ;"  and  flippantly 
to  resolve  all  these  shadowings  of  doubt,  these  dawnings 
of  hope,  and  the  joyous  influence  of  the  full  day  of  salva- 
tion, as  some  have  done,  into  fancy,  nervous  affection,  or 
natural  constitution.  To  every  truly  serious  mind,  these 
will  however  appear  subjects  of  a  momentous  character ; 
and  no  one  will  proceed  either,  safely  or  soberly  to  judge 
of  them,  who  does  not  previously  inquire  into  the  doctrine 
of  the  New  Testament  on  the  subject  of  human  salvation, 
and  apply  the  principles  which  he  may  find  there,  authen- 
ticated by  infallible  inspiration,  to  the  examination  of  such 
cases.  If  it  be  there  declared  that  the  state  of  man  by 
nature,  and  so  long  as  he  remains  unforgiven  by  his  of- 
fended God,  is  a  state  of  awful  peril,  then  the  all-absorbing 


56 


LIFE  OF  THE 


seriousness  of  that  concern  for  deliverance  from  spiritual 
danger,  which  was  exhibited  by  the  Wesleys,  is  a  feeling 
becoming  our  condition,  and  is  the  only  rational  frame  of 
mind  which  we  can  cultivate.  If  we  are  required  to  be 
of  "an  humble  and  broken  spirit,"  and  if  the  very  root  of 
a  true  repentance  lies  in  a  "godly  sorrow"  for  sin ;  then 
their  humiliations  and  self  reproaches  were  in  correspond- 
ence with  a  state  of  heart  which  is  enjoined  upon  all  by 
an  authority  which  we  cannot  dispute.  If  the  appointed 
method  of  man's  salvation,  laid  down  in  the  Gospel,  be 
gratuitous  pardon  through  faith  in  the  merits  of  Christ's 
sacrifice,  and  if  a  method  of  seeking  justification  by  works 
of  moral  obedience  to  the  Divine  law,  be  plainly  placed  by 
St.  Paul  in  opposition  to  this,  and  declared  to  be  vain  and 
fruitless ;  then,  if  in  this  way  the  Wesleys  sought  their  jus- 
tification before  God,  we  see  how  true  their  own  statement 
must  of  necessity  have  been,  that  with  all  their  efforts  they 
could  obtain  no  solid  peace  of  mind,  no  deliverance  from 
the  enslaving  fear  of  death  and  final  punishment,  because 
they  sought  that  by  imperfect  works  which  God  has  ap- 
pointed  to  be  attained  by  faith  alone.  If  it  be  said,  that 
their  case  was  not  parallel  to  that  of  the  self-righteous 
Jews,  who  did  not  receive  the  Christian  religion,  and  there- 
fore that  the  argument  of  the  apostle  does  not  apply  to 
those  who  believe  the  Gospel,  it  will  remain  to  be  inquired, 
whether  the  circumstance  of  a  mere  belief  in  the  Christian 
system,  when  added  to  works  of  imperfect  obedience,  makes 
any  essential  difference  in  the  case ;  or,  in  other  woi'ds, 
whether  justification  may  not  be  sought  by  endeavours  to 
obey  the  law,  although  the  Judaism  necessarily  implied 
in  it  may  be  arrayed  in  the  garb  of  Christian  terms  and 
phrases.  If  indeed  by  "  works  of  the  law"  St.  Paul  had 
meant  only  the  ceremonial  observances  of  the  Jewish 
Church,  the  case  would  be  altered ;  but  his  Epistle  to  the 
Romans  puts  it  beyond  all  doubt,  that  in  his  argument  re- 
specting justification  he  speaks  of  the  moral  law,  since  his 
grand  reason  to  prove  that  by  the  works  of  the  law  no  man 
can  be  justified,  is,  that  "by  the  law  is  the  knoAvledge  of 
sin."  That  law  is  recognized  and  embodied  in  the  New 
Testament,  but  its  first  office  there  is  to  give  "  the  know- 
ledge of  sin,"  that  men  may  be  convinced,  or,  as  St.  Paul 
forcibly  says,  "  slain"  by  it :  and  it  stands  there  in  con- 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEt. 


57 


nection  with  the  atonement  for  sin  made  by  the  sacrifice 
upon  the  cross.  Nor  is  the  faith  which  deUvers  men  from 
the  condemnation  of  a  law  which  has  been  broken,  and 
never  can  be  perfectly  kept  by  man,  a  mere  helief  in  the 
truth  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  but  reliance  upon  his  sacri- 
fice, in  which  consists  that  personal  act  by  which  we  be- 
come  parties  to  the  covenant  of  free  and  gratuitous  justifi- 
cation ;  and  which  then  only  stands  sure  to  us,  because  then 
only  we  accept  the  mercy  of  God,  as  exercised  toward 
us  through  Christ  nnd  on  the  prescribed  conditions.  If 
therefore  in  the  malie-r  of  our  justification,  like  the  Wes- 
leys  before  they  obtained  clearer  light,  and  the  divines  who 
were  their  early  guides,  we  change  the  office  of  the  moral 
law,  though  we  may  still  regard  it  as  in  some  way  con- 
nected  with  the  Gospel,  and  call  it  by  the  general  term  of 
Christianity,  of  which  it  in  truth  forms  the  preceptive  part, 
and  resort  to  it,  not  that  we  may  be  convinced  of  the  great- 
ness of  our  sins,  and  of  our  utter  inability  to  commend 
ourselves  to  a  holy  God,  the  requirements  of  whose  law 
have  never  been  relaxed ;  but  as  the  means  of  quahfy  ing 
ourselves,  by  efforts  of  obedience  to  it,  for  the  reception 
of  Divine  mercy,  and  acquiring  a  fitness  and  worthiness  for 
the  exercise  of  grace  toward  us ;  then  we  reject  the  per- 
fection and  suitableness  of  the  atonement  of  Christ ;  we 
refuse  to  commit  our  whole  case  in  the  matter  of  our  justi- 
fication  to  that  atonement,  according  to  the  appointment  of 
God  ;  and  as  much  seek  justification  by  works  of  the  law, 
as  did  the  Jews  themselves.  Such  was  the  case  with  the 
W'esleys,  as  stated  by  themselves.  Theirs  was  not  indeed 
a  state  of  heartless  formality,  and  self-deluding  Pharisaism, 
aiming  only  at  external  obedience.  It  was  just  the  reverse 
of  this  :  they  were  awakened  to  a  sense  of  danger,  and 
they  aimed,  nay  struggled  with  intense  efforts  after  uni- 
versal  holiness,  inward  and  outward.  But  it  was  not  a 
state  of  salvation :  and  if  we  find  a  middle  state  like  this  de- 
scribed in  the  Scriptures  ;  a  state  in  transit  from  dead  for- 
mality to  living  faith  and  moral  deliverance,  the  question 
with  respect  to  the  truth  of  their  representations,  as  to  their 
former  state  of  experience,  is  settled.  Such  a  middle  state 
M  e  see  plainly  depicted  by  the  Apostle  Paul  in  the  seventh 
chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  There  the  mind 
of  the  person  described  "  consents  to  the  law  that  it  is 


58 


LIFE  OF  THE 


good,''  but  finds  in  it  only  greater  discoveries  of  his  sin- 
fulness  and  danger ;  there  the  eflbrt  too  is  after  universal 
hoUness, — "  to  will  is  present,"  but  the  power  is  wanting ; 
every  struggle  birids  the  chain  tighter ;  sighs  and  groans 
are  extorted,  till  self  despair  succeeds,  and  the  true  Deli- 
verer  is  seen  and  trusted  in, — "  O  wretched  man  that  I 
am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ?"  I 
thank  God  through  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord.*  The  deliver- 
ance  also  in  the  case  described  by  St.  Paul  is  marked  with 
the  same  characters  as  that  exhibited  in  the  conversion  of 
the  Wesleys,  "  There  is  now  no  condemnation  to  them  that 
are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh ;  but  after 
the  Spirit ;  for  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus 
hath  made  me  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death," — 
"Therefore  being  justified  by  faith  we  have  peace  with 
God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Every  thing  in 
the  account  of  the  change  wrought  in  the  two  brothers, 
and  several  of  their  friends  about  the  same  time,  answers 

*  "  All  the  time  I  was  at  Savannah  I  was  thus  beating  the  air. 
Being  ignorant  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  which,  by  a  living 
faith  in  him,  bringeth  salvation  '  to  every  one  that  believeth,'  I  sought 
to  establish  my  own  righteousness,  and  so  laboured  in  the  fire  all 
my  days.  I  was  now  properly  under  the  law ;  I  knew  that  '  the  law 
of  God  was  spiritual ;'  '  I  consented  to  it  that  it  was  good.  Yea,  I 
delighted  in  it  after  the  inner  man.'  Yet  I  was  'carnal,  sold  under  sin.' 
Every  day  was  I  constrained  to  cry  out,  '  What  I  do,  I  allow  not ; 
for  what  I  would  I  do  not,  but  what  I  hate,  that  I  do.  To  will  is 
indeed  present  with  me  ;  but  how  to  perform  that  which  is  good,  I  find 
not.  For  the  good  which  I  would  I  do  not ;  but  the  evil  which  I  would 
not,  that  I  do.  I  find  a  law,  that  when  I  would  do  good,  evil  is  present 
with  me :  even  the  law  in  my  members  warring  against  the  law  of  my 
mind,  and  still  bringing  me  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin.' 

"In  this  state,  I  was  indeed  fighting  continually,  but  not  conquering. 
Before,  I  had  willingly  served  sin  ;  now  it  was  unwillingly ;  but  still  I 
served  it.  I  fell  and  rose,  and  fell  again.  Sometimes  I  was  overcome, 
and  in  heaviness :  sometimes  I  overcame,  and  was  in  joy.  For,  as  in 
the  former  stats,  I  had  some  foretastes  of  the  terrors  of  the  law,  so  had 
I  in  this,  of  the  comforts  of  the  Gospel.  During  this  whole  struggle 
between  nature  and  grace,  which  had  now  continued  above  ten  years, 
I  had  many  remarkable  returns  to  prayer,  especially  when  I  was  in 
trouble  :  I  had  many  sensible  comforts,  which  are  indeed  no  other  than 
short  anticipations  of  the  life  of  faith.  But  I  was  still  under  the  law, 
not  under  grace,  the  state  most  who  are  called  Christians  are  content 
to  live  and  die  in.  For  I  was  only  striving  with,  not  freed  from,  sin  : 
neither  had  I  '  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  with  my  spirit.'  And  indeed 
could  not ;  for  '  I  sought  it  not  by  faitli,  but  as  it  were,  by  the  works 
of  the  law.'"  (IVesZey's  JoMrnoZ.) 


HEV.  JOHIf  WESLET. 


59 


therefore  to  the  Now  Testament.  Nor  was  their  expe- 
rience,  or  the  doctrine  upon  which  it  was  founded,  new, 
aUhough  in  that  age  of  decUning  piety  unhappily  not  com- 
mon. The  Moravian  statement  of  justifying  faith  was  that 
of  all  the  Churches  of  the  Reformation ;  and  through  Peter 
Bohler  Mr.  Wesley  came  first  to  understand  the  true  doc- 
trine  of  that  Church  of  which  he  was  a  clergyman.  His 
mind  was  never  so  fully  imbued  with  the  letter  and  spirit 
of  that  Article  in  which  she  has  so  truly  interpreted  St. 
Paul  as  when  he  learned  from  him,  almost  in  the  words  of 
the  Article  itself,  that  "  we  are  justified  by  faith  only ;"  and 
that  this  is  "a  most  wholesome  doctrine."  For  the  joyous 
change  of  Mr.  Wesley's  feelings,  upon  his  persuasion  of 
his  personal  interest  in  Christ  through  faith,  those  persons 
who  like  Dr.  Southey,  {Life  of  Wesley,)  have  bestowed 
iipon  it  several  philosophic  solutions,  might  have  found  a 
better  reason  had  they  either  consulted  St.  Paul,  who  says, 
"  We  joy  in  God,  by  whom  we  have  received  the  recon- 
ciliation," or  their  own  Church,  which  has  emphatically 
declared  that  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  is  not 
oply  very  wholesome,  but  also  "  very  full  of  comfort  " 

CHAPTER  V. 

From  this  time  Mr.  Wesley  commenced  that  laborious 
and  glorious  ministry,  which  directly  or  indirectly  was 
made  the  instrument  of  the  salvation  of  a  multitude,  not  to 
be  numbered  till  "  the  day  which  shall  make  all  things 
manifest."  That  which  he  had  experienced  he  preached 
to  others,  with  the  confidence  of  one  who  had  "  the  wit- 
ness in  himself  ;"  and  with  a  fulness  of  sympathy  for  all 
who  wandered  in  paths  of  darkness  and  distress,  which 
could  not  but  be  inspired  by  the  recollection  of  his  oavu 
former  perplexities. 

At  this  period  the  religious  and  moral  state  of  the  nation 
was  such  as  to  give  the  most  serious  concern  to  the  few 
remaining  faithful.  There  is  no  need  to  draw  a  picture 
darker  than  the  truth,  to  add  importance  to  the  labours  of 
the  two  Wcsleys,  Mr.  Whitefield,  and  their  associates. 
The  view  here  taken  has  often  been  drawn  by  pens  un- 
connected  with  and  hostile  to  Methodism. 

The  Reformation  from  popery  which  so  much  proniotot' 


LIFE  OF  THE 

the  instruction  of  the  populace  in  Scotland,  did  much  less 
for  the  people  of  England,  a  great  majority  of  whose  lower 
classes  at  the  time  of  the  rise  of  Methodism  were  even 
ignorant  of  the  art  of  reading  ;  in  many  places  wei'e  semi- 
barbarous  in  their  manners ;  and  had  been  rescued  from 
the  superstitions  of  popery,  only  to  be  left  ignorant  of  every 
thing  beyond  a  few  vague  and  general  notions  of  religion. 
Great  numbers  were  destitute  even  of  these ;  and  there  are 
still  agricultural  districts  in  the  southern  and  western  coun- 
ties, where  the  case  is  not  even  at  this  moment  much  im- 
proved. A  clergyman  has  lately  asserted  in  print,  that  in 
many  villages  of  Devonshire  the  only  form  of  prayer  stiH 
taught  to  their  children  by  the  peasantry  are  the  goodly 
verses  handed  down  from  their  popish  ancestors, — 
"  Matthew,  Mavk,  Luke,  and  John, 
Bless  the  bed  that  I  lie  on,"  &c. 
The  degree  of  ignorance  on  all  Scriptural  subjects,  and 
of  dull,  uninquiring  irreligiousness  which  prevails  in  many 
other  parts,  is  well  known  to  those  who  have  turned  their 
attention  to  such  inquiries,  and  would  be  incredible  to  those 
who  have  not.*  A  great  impression  was  made  in  many 
places  by  the  zealous  preachers  who  sprang  forth  at  tlie 
Reformation  ;  and  in  the  large  towns  especially  they  turn- 
ed  many  of  the  people  "  from  darkness  to  light."  But  the 
great  body  of  the  popish  parish  priests  went  round  with 
the  Reformation,  without  conviction,  and  performed  the 
new  service,  as  they  performed  the  old,  in  order  to  hold 
fast  their  livings.  As  what  was  called  Puritanism  pre- 
vailed, more  zealous  preaching  and  more  careful  instruc- 
tion were  employed  ;  and  by  such  ministers  as  the  two 
thousand  who  were  silenced  by  the  act  of  uniformity,  with 
many  equally  excellent  men  who  conformed  to  the  re- 
established  Cliurch,  a  great  body  of  religious  and  well- 
instructed  people  were  raised  up  ;  and  indeed  before  the 
civil  wars  commenced  the  nation  might  be  said  to  be  in  a 
state  of  hopeful  moral  improvement.  These  troubles  how- 
ever arose  before  the  eflect  produced  upon  a  state  of 
society  sunk  very  low  in  vice  and  ignorance,  could  be 
widely  extended  ;  and  the  keen  and  ardent  political  feel- 

*  Ry  far  the  graater  number  of  the  peasants  in  Hampshire  and 
Berkshiro,  lately  triad  under  the  special  commissions  for  riots  and 
stack  burning,  were  found  unable  to  r?ad. 


REV.  JOHN  WESIBV. 


61 


ingg  which  were  then  excited,  and  the  demorahzing  effects 
of  civil  warfare,  greatly  injured  the  spirit  of  piety,  by  occu- 
pying  the  attention  of  men,  and  rousing  their  passions  by 
other,  and  often  unhallowed,  subjects.  The  effect  was  as 
injurious  upon  the  advocates  of  the  old  Church  discipline 
as  upon  those  of  the  new,  and  probably  w  orse ;  because 
it  did  not  meet  in  them,  for  the  most  part,  with  principles 
so  genuine  and  active  to  resist  it.  In  many  of  the  latter 
Antinomianism  and  fanaticism  became  conspicuous  ;  but 
in  the  former  a  total  irreligion,  or  a  lifeless  formaUty, 
produced  a  haughty  dislike  of  the  spiritualities  of  religion, 
or  a  sneering  contempt  of  them.  The  mischief  was  com- 
pleted by  the  restoration  of  the  Stuarts ;  for  whatever 
advantages  were  gained  by  that  event  in  a  civil  sense,  it  let 
in  a  flood  of  licentiousness  and  impiety  which  swept  away 
almost  every  barrier  that  had  been  raised  in  the  pubUc 
mind  by  the  labours  of  former  ages.  Infidelity  began  its 
ravages  upon  the  principles  of  the  higher  and  middle 
classes ;  the  mass  of  the  people  remained  uneducated,  and 
were  Christians  but  in  name,  and  by  virtue  of  their  bap- 
tism ;  whilst  many  of  the  great  doctrines  of  the  Reforma- 
tion  were  banished  both  from  the  universities  and  the 
pulpits.  Archbishop  Leighton  complains  that  his  "  Church 
was  a  fair  carcass  without  a  spirit ;"  and  Burnet  observes, 
that  in  his  time  "  the  clergy  had  less  authority,  and  were 
under  more  contempt,  than  those  of  any  Church  in  Europe ; 
for  they  were  much  the  most  remiss  in  their  labours,  and 
the  least  severe  in  their  lives."  Nor  did  the  case  much 
amend  up  to  the  period  of  which  we  speak.  Dr.  Southey 
says,  that  "  from  the  Restoration  to  the  accession  of  the 
House  of  Hanover  the  English  Church  could  boast  of  its 
brightest  ornaments  and  ablest  defenders,  men  who  have 
never  been  surpassed  in  erudition,  in  eloquence,  or  in 
strength  and  subtlety  of  mind."  This  is  true  :  but  it  is 
equally  so,  that,  with  very  few^  exceptions,  these  great 
powers  were  not  employed  to  teach,  defend  and  inculcate 
the  doctrines  of  that  Church  on  personal  reUgion  as  it  is 
taught  in  her  Liturgy,  her  Articles,  and  her  Homilies,  but 
what  often  was  subversive  of  them ;  and  the  very  autho- 
rity therefore  which  such  writers  acquired  by  their  learned 
and  able  works  was  in  many  respects  miscliievous.  They 
stood  between  the  people  and  the  better  divines  of  the  earlier 


62 


LIFE  OF  THE 


age  of  the  Church,  and  put  them  out  of  sight ;  and  they  set 
an  example  of  preaching  which,  being  generally  followed, 
placed  tlie  pulpit  and  the  desk  at  perpetual  variance,  and 
reduced  an  evangelical  liturgy  to  a  dead  form  which  was 
repeated  without  thought,  or  so  explained  as  to  take  away 
its  meaning.  A  great  proportion  of  the  clergy,  whatever 
other  learning  they  might  possess,  were  grossly  ignorant 
of  theology,  and  contented  themselves  with  reading  short 
unmeaning  sermons,  purchased  or  pilfered,  and  formed 
upon  the  lifeless  theological  system  of  the  day.  A  little 
Calvinism  remained  in  the  Church,  and  a  little  evangelical 
Arminianism ;  but  the  prevalent  divinity  was  Pelagian, 
or  what  very  nearly  approached  it.  Natural  religion  was 
the  great  subject  of  study,  when  theology  was  studied  at 
all,  and  was  made  the  test  and  standard  of  revealed  truth 
The  doctrine  of  the  opus  opcratum  of  the  Papists,  as  to 
sacraments,  was  the  faith  of  the  divines  of  the  older  school ; 
and  a  refined  system  of  ethics,  unconnected  with  Christian 
motives,  and  disjoined  from  the  vital  principles  of  religion 
in  the  heart,  Avas  the  favourite  theory  of  the  modern.  The 
body  of  the  clergy  neither  knew  nor  cared  about  systems 
of  any  kind.  In  a  great  number  of  instances  they  were 
neghgent  and  immoral ;  often  grossly  so.  The  populace 
of  the  large  towns  were  ignorant  and  profligate  ;  and  the 
inhabitants  of  villages  added  to  ignorance  and  profligacy 
brutish  and  barbarous  manners.  A  more  striking  instance 
of  the  rapid  deterioration  of  religious  light  and  influence 
in  a  country  scarcely  occurs,  than  in  our  own,  from  the 
Restoration  till  the  rise  of  Methodism.  It  affected  not 
only  the  Church,  but  the  dissenting  sects  in  no  ordinary 
degree.  The  Presbyterians  had  commenced  their  course 
through  Arianism  down  to  Socinianism ;  and  those  who 
held  the  doctrin!;s  of  Calvin  had,  in  too  many  instances,  by 
a  course  of  hot-house  planting,  luxuriated  them  into  the 
fatal  and  disgusting  errors  of  Antinomianism.  There  were 
indeed  many  happy  exceptions ;  but  this  was  the  general 
state  of  religion  and  morals  in  the  country,  when  the 
Wcsleys,  Whiteficid,  and  a  few  kindred  spirits  came  forth, 
ready  to  sacrifice  case,  reputation,  and  even  life  itself,  to 
produce  a  reformation. 

Before  Mr.  Wesley  entered  upon  the  career  which  after- 
ward distinguished  him,  and  having  no  preconceived  plan 


REV.  JOHN  WE8I.BT. 


63 


or  course  of  conduct,  lut  to  seek  good  for  himself,  and  to 
do  good  to  others,  he  visited  the  Moravian  settlements  in 
Germany.  On  his  journey  he  formed  an  acquaintance 
with  several  pious  ministers  in  Holland  and  Germany  ; 
and  at  Marienbourn  was  greatly  edified  by  the  conversa- 
tion of  Count  Zinzendorf,  and  others  of  the  brethren,  of 
whose  views  he  did  not  however  in  all  respects  even  then 
approve.  From  thence  he  proceeded  to  Hei'nhuth,  where 
he  staid  a  fortnight,  conversing  with  the  elders,  and  observ- 
ing the  economy  of  that  Church,  part  of  which  with  modi- 
fications he  afterward  introduced  among  his  own  societies. 
The  sermons  of  Christian  David  especially  interested  him  ; 
and  of  one  of  them,  on  "  the  ground  of  our  faith,"  he  gives 
the  substance ;  which  we  may  insert,  both  as  excellent  in 
itself,  and  as  it  so  well  agrees  with  what  Mr.  Wesley  after, 
ward  uniformly  taught : — 

"  The  word  of  reconciliation  which  the  apostles  preach- 
ed, as  the  foundation  of  all  they  taught,  was,  that  '  we  are 
reconciled  to  God,  not  by  our  own  works,  nor  by  our  own 
righteousness,  but  wholly  and  solely  by  the  blood  of 
Christ.' 

"  But  you  will  say.  Must  I  not  grieve  and  mourn  for  my 
sins  ?  Must  I  not  humble  myself  before  my  God  ?  Is 
not  this  just  and  right?  And  must  I  not  first  do  this  be- 
fore I  can  expect  God  to  be  reconciled  to  me  ?  I  answer, 
It  is  just  and  right.  You  must  be  humbled  before  God. 
You  must  have  a  broken  and  contrite  heart.  But  then 
observe,  this  is  not  your  own  work.  Do  you  grieve  that  you 
are  a  sinner?  This  is  the  Avork  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Arc 
you  contrite?  Are  you  humbled  before  God?  Do  you 
indeed  mourn,  and  is  your  heart  broken  within  you  ?  All 
this  worketh  the  self-same  Spirit. 

"  Obsen  c  again,  this  is  not  the  foundation.  It  is  not  this 
by  which  you  are  justified.  This  is  not  the  righteousness, 
this  is  no  part  of  the  righteousness,  by  which  you  arc  re- 
conciled unto  God.  You  grieve  for  your  sins.  You  are 
deeply  humble.  Your  heart  is  broken.  Well.  But  all 
this  is  nothing  to  your  justification.*  The  remission  of 
your  sins  is  not  owing  to  this  cause,  either  in  whole  or  in 

*  "This  is  not  gunrdod.  These  things  do  not  merit  our  justifica- 
tion, but  they  are  absolutely  necessary  in  order  to  it.  God  never 
pardons  tho  impenitent."  ( Wesley's  Journal.) 


64 


LIFE  OF  THE 


part.  Nay,  observe  farther,  that  it  may  hinder  your  justifi- 
cation ;  that  is,  if  you  build  any  thing  upon  it ;  if  you  think, 
I  must  be  so  or  so  contrite :  I  must  grieve  more,  before  I 
can  be  justified.  Understand  this  well.  To  think  you 
must  be  more  contrite,  more  humble,  more  grieved,  more 
sensible  of  the  -weight  of  sin,  before  you  can  be  justified, 
is,  to  lay  j^our  contrition,  your  grief,  your  humiliation  for 
the  foundation  of  your  being  justified  :  at  least  for  a  part 
of  the  foundation.  Therefore  it  hinders  your  justification ; 
and  a  hinderance  it  is  Avhich  must  be  removed,  before  you 
can  lay  the  right  foundation.  The  right  foundation  is,  not 
your  contrition,  (though  that  is  not  your  own,)  not  your 
righteousness,  nothing  of  your  own ;  nothing  that  is 
wrought  in  you  by  the  Holy  Ghost ;  but  it  is  something 
without  you,  viz.  the  righteousness  and  blood  of  Christ. 

"  For  this  is  the  word,  '  To  him  that  believeth  on  God 
that  justifieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith  is  counted  for  right- 
eousness.' See  ye  not,  that  the  foundation  is  nothing  in 
us  ?  There  is  no  connection  between  God  and  the  ungodly. 
There  is  no  tie  to  unite  them.  They  are  altogether  sepa- 
rate from  each  other.  They  have  nothing  in  common. 
There  is  nothing  less  or  more  in  the  ungodly,  to  join  them 
to  God.  Works,  righteousness,  contrition  1  No.  Ungod- 
liness only.  This  then  do,  if  you  will  lay  a  right  founda- 
tion : — Go  straight  to  Christ  with  all  your  ungodliness. 
Tell  him.  Thou  whose  eyes  are  as  a  flame  of  fire,  search- 
ing my  heart,  seest  that  I  am  ungodly.  I  plead  nothing 
else.  I  do  not  say,  I  am  humble  or  contrite ;  but  I  am 
ungodly.  Therefore  bring  me  to  Him  that  justifieth  the 
ungodly.  Let  thy  blood  be  the  propitiation  for  me ;  for 
there  is  nothing  in  me  but  ungodliness. 

"  Here  is  a  mystery.  Here  the  wise  men  of  the  world 
are  lost,  are  taken  in  their  own  craftiness.  This  the 
learned  of  the  world  cannot  comprehend.  It  is  foolishness 
unto  them.  Sin  is  the  only  thing  which  divides  men  from 
God.  Sin  (let  him  that  heareth  understand)  is  the  only 
thing  which  unites  them  to  God ;  that  is,  the  only  thing 
which  moves  the  Lamb  of  God  to  have  compassion  upon 
them,  and  by  his  blood  to  give  them  access  to  the  Father. 

"  This  is  the  word  of  reconciliation  which  we  preach. 
This  is  the  foundation  which  never  can  be  moved.  By 
faith  we  are  built  upon  this  foundation ;  and  this  faith  also 


REV.  JOHN  WESIEY. 


65 


is  the  gift  of  God.  It  is  his  free  gift,  which  he  now  and 
ever  giveth  to  every  one  that  is  willing  to  receive  it.  And 
when  they  have  received  this  gift  of  God,  then  their  hearts 
will  melt  for  sorrow  that  they  have  offended  him.  But 
this  gift  of  God  hves  in  the  heart,  not  in  the  head.  The 
faith  of  the  head,  learned  from  men  or  books,  is  nothing 
worth.  It  brings  neither  remission  of  sins,  nor  peace  with 
God.  Labour  then  to  beUeve  with  your  whole  heart.  So 
shall  you  have  redemption  through  the  blood  of  Christ.  So 
shall  you  be  cleansed  from  all  sin.  So  shall  ye  go  on  from 
strength  to  strength,  being  renewed  day  by  day  in  right- 
eousness and  all  true  holiness."  [Journal.) 

"  I  would  gladly,"  says  Mr.  Wesley,  "  have  spent  my 
lite  here;  but  my  Master  calling  me  to  labour  in  another 
part  of  his  vineyard,  I  was  constrained  to  take  my  leave  of 
this  happy  place.  O  when  shall  this  Christianity  cover 
the  earth,  as  the  '  waters  cover  the  sea  !'  "  He  adds  in 
another  place, "  I  was  exceedingly  comforted  and  strength- 
ened by  the  conversation  of  this  lovely  people;  and 
returned  to  England  more  fully  determined  to  spend  my 
life  in  testifying  the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God." 
(Jourml. ) 

He  arrived  in  London  in  September,  1738.  His  fu- 
ture course  of  life  does  not  appear  to  have  been  shaped 
out  in  his  mind ;  no  indication  of  this  appears  in  any  of 
his  letters,  or  other  communication  :  so  little  ground  is 
there  for  the  insinuation,  which  has  been  so  often  made, 
that  he  early  formed  the  scheme  of  making  himself  the 
head  of  a  sect.  This,  even  those  inconsistencies,  con- 
sidering him  as  a  Churchman,  into  which  circumstances 
afterward  impelled  him,  sufficiently  refute.  That  he  was 
averse  to  settle  as  a  parish  minister  is  certain ;  and  the 
man  who  regarded  "  the  world  as  his  parish,"  must  have 
had  large  views  of  usefulness.  That  he  kept  in  mind  the 
opinion  of  the  bishop  who  ordained  him,  that  he  was  at 
hberty  to  decline  settUng  as  a  parish  priest,  provided  he 
thought  that  he  could  serve  the  Church  better  in  any  other 
way,  is  ver\'  probable  ;  and  if  he  had  any  fixed  pur- 
pose at  all,  at  this  time,  beyond  what  circumstances  daily 
opened  to  him,  and  from  which  he  might  infer  the  path  of 
duty,  it  was  to  attempt  to  revive  the  spirit  of  religion  in 
the  Church  to  which  he  belonged  and  which  he  loved,  by 


68 


LIFE  OF  THE 


preaching  "  the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God"  in  aa  many 
of  her  pulpits  as  he  should  be  permitted  to  occupy.  Thia 
was  the  course  he  pursued.  Wherever  he  was  invited, 
he  preached  the  obsolete  doctrine  of  salvation  by  grace 
through  faith.  In  London  great  ci-owds  followed  him ; 
the  clergy  generally  excepted  to  his  statement  of  the  doc- 
trine ;  the  genteeler  part  of  his  audiences,  whether  they 
attended  to  the  sermon  or  not,  were  offended  at  the  bus- 
tie  of  crowded  congregations  ;  and  soon  almost  all  the 
churches  of  the  metropolis,  one  after  another,  were  shut 
against  him.  He  had,  however,  largely  laboured  in  vari- 
ous  parts  of  the  metropolis  in  churches,  rooms,  houses, 
and  prisons ;  and  the  effects  produced  were  pov.  erful  and 
lasting.  Soon  after,  we  find  him  at  Oxford,  employed  in 
writing  to  his  friends  abroad,  communicating  the  good 
news  of  a  great  awakening  both  in  London  and  in  that 
city.  To  Dr.  Koker,  of  Rotterdam,  he  writes,  Oct.  13, 
1788:  "His  blessed  Spirit  has  wrought  so  powerfiilly 
both  in  London  and  Oxford,  that  there  is  a  general 
awakening,  and  multitudes  are  crying  out.  What  must  we 
do  to  be  saved  ?  So  that  till  our  gracious  Master  sendeth 
more  labourers  into  his  harvest,  all  my  time  is  much  too 
little  for  them."  And  to  the  Church  at  Hcrnhutli,  he 
writes  under  the  same  date  :  "  We  are  endeavouring  here, 
also,  by  the  grace  which  is  given  us,  to  be  followers  of 
you,  as  ye  are  of  Christ.  Fourteen  were  added  to  ua 
since  our  return  ;  so  that  we  have  now  eight  bands  of 
men,  consisting  of  fifty-six  persons,  all  of  whom  seek  for 
salvation  only  in  the  blood  of  Christ.  As  yet  we  have 
only  two  small  bands  of  women,  the  one  of  three,  the 
other  of  five  persons.  But  here  are  many  others  who 
only  wait  till  we  have  leisure  to  instruct  them  how  they 
may  most  effectually  build  up  one  another  in  the  faith  and 
love  of  Him  who  gave  himself  for  them. 

"  Though  my  brother  and  I  are  not  permitted  to  preach 
in  most  of  the  churches  in  London,  yet,  thanks  be  to 
God,  there  are  others  left,  wherein  we  have  liberty  to  speak 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  Likewise  every  evening,  and 
on  set  evenings  in  the  week,  at  two  several  places,  we 
publish  the  word  of  reconciliation,  sometimes  to  twenty 
or  thirty,  sometimes  to  fifty  or  sixty,  sometimes  to  three 
or  four  hundred  persons,  met  together  to  hear  it." 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


67 


In  December  he  met  Mr.  Whitefield,  who  had  returned 
to  London  from  America, "  and  they  again  took  sweet  coun- 
sel together."  In  the  spring  of  the  next  year,  he  followed 
Mr.  Whitefield  to  Bristol,  where  he  had  preached  with  great 
success  in  the  open  air.  Mr.  Wesley  first  expounded  to  a 
Uttle  society,*  accustomed  to  meet  in  Nicholas-street ;  and 
the  next  day  he  overcame  his  scruples,  and  preached  abroad, 
on  an  eminence  near  the  city,  to  more  than  two  thousand 

*  The  "  Societies"  which  Mr.  Wesley  mentions  in  his  journals  as 
visited  by  him,  for  the  purpose  of  expounding  the  Scriptures,  in  Lon- 
don and  Bristol,  were  the  remains  of  those  which  Dr.  Woodward 
describes,  in  an  account  first  published  about  1698  or  1699.  They 
began,  about  the  year  1667,  among  a  few  young  men  in  London,  who, 
under  Dr.  Horneck's  preaching,  and  the  morning  lectures  in  Corn- 
hill,  were  brought,  says  Dr.  Woodward,  "  to  a  very  affecting  sense  of 
their  sins,  and  began  to  apply  thenisslves  in  a  very  serious  way  to  re- 
ligious thoughts  and  purposes."  They  were  advised  by  their  minis- 
ters to  meet  together  weekly  for  "  good  discourse and  rules  were 
drawn  up  "  for  the  better  regulation  of  these  meetings."  They  con- 
tributed weekly  for  the  use  of  the  poor,  and  stewards  were  appointed 
to  take  care  of  and  to  disburse  their  charities.  In  the  latter  part  of 
the  reign  of  James  II,  they  met  with  discouragement ;  but  on  the  ac- 
cession of  William  and  Mary  they  acquired  new  vigour.  When  Dr. 
Woodward  wrote  his  account,  there  were  about  forty  of  these  soci- 
eties in  activity,  within  the  bills  of  mortality,  a  few  in  the  country, 
and  nine  in  Ireland.  Out  of  these  societies  about  twenty  associations 
arose,  in  London,  for  the  prosecution  and  suppression  of  vice  ;  and 
both  these,  and  the  private  societies  for  religious  edification,  had  for 
a  time  much  encouragement  frosi  several  bishops,  and  from  the  queen 
herself.  By  their  rules  they  were  obliged,  at  their  weekly  meetings, 
to  discourse  only  on  such  subjects  as  tended  to  practical  holiness,  and 
to  avoid  all  controversy  ;  and  beside  relieving  the  poor,  they  wero  to 
promote  schools,  and  the  catechising  of  "  young  and  ignorant  persons 
in  their  respective  families."  These  societies  certainly  opened  a 
favourable  prospect  for  the  revival  of  religion  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land :  but,  whether  they  were  cramped  by  clerical  jealousy  lest  lay. 
men  should  become  too  active  in  spiritual  concerns ;  or  that  from 
their  being  bound  by  their  orders  to  prosecute  vice  by  calling  in  the 
aid  of  the  magistrate,  their  moral  influence  among  the  populace  was 
counteracted  ;  they  appear  to  have  declined  from  about  1710  ;  and  al- 
though several  societies  still  remained  in  London,  Bristol,  and  a  few 
other  places,  at  the  time  when  Mr.  Wesley  commenced  his  labours, 
they  were  not  in  a  state  of  growth  and  activity.  They  had,  however, 
been  the  means  of  keeping  the  spark  of  piety  from  entiro  extinction. 
The  sixth  edition  of  Dr.  Woodward's  account  of  these  societies  waa 
publishal  in  1744  ;  but  from  that  time  we  hear  no  more  of  them  ; 
they  either  gradually  died  away,  or  were  absorbed  in  tlie  Methodist 
Societies.  This  at  least  was  the  case  with  several  of  them  in  Lon> 
don  and  Bristol ;  and  with  that  of  St.  Ives,  in  Cornwall. 


68 


LIFE  OF  THE 


persons.  On  this  practice  he  observes,  that  though  till  lately 
he  had  been  so  tenacious  of  every  point  relating  to  decency 
and  order,  that  he  should  have  thought  the  saving  of  souls 
almost  a  sin  if  it  had  not  been  done  in  a  church,  yet, "  I  have 
since  seen  abundant  reason  to  adore  the  wise  providence 
of  God  herein,  making  a  way  for  myriads  of  people,  who 
never  troubled  any  church  or  were  likely  so  to  do,  to  hear 
that  word  which  they  soon  found  to  be  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation." 

The  manner  in  which  he  filled  up  his  time,  may  be  seen 
from  the  following  account  of  his  weekly  labours  at  this 
period,  at  or  near  Bristol.  "  My  ordinary  employment  in 
public  was  now  as  folloAvs  :  Every  momirg  I  read  prayers 
and  preached  at  Newgate.  Every  evening  I  expounded  a 
portion  of  Scripture,  at  one  or  more  of  the  societies.  On 
Monday  in  the  afternoon  I  preached  abroad  near  Bristol. 
On  Tuesday  at  Bath  and  Two  Mile  Hill,  alternately.  On 
Wednesday  at  Baptist  Mills.  Eveiy  other  Thursday,  near 
Pensford.  Eveiy  other  Fiidaj^  in  another  part  of  Kings- 
wood.  On  Saturday  in  the  afternoon,  and  Sunday  morning, 
in  the  Bowhng  Green.  On  Sunday  at  eleven  near  Hannam 
Mount,  at  two  at  Clifton,  at  five  at  Rose  Green.  And 
hitherto,  as  my  day  is,  so  is  my  strength."  {Journal.) 

During  Mr.  Wesley's  visit  to  Germany,  his  brother 
Charles  was  zealously  employed  in  preaching  the  same 
doctrines,  and  with  equal  zeal,  fh  the  churches  in  London  ; 
and  in  holding  meetings  for  prayer  and  expounding  the 
Scriptures.  At  this  time  he  also  visited  Oxford,  and  was 
made  useful  to  several  of  his  old  college  friends.  When 
his  brother  returned  from  Hernhuth,  he  met  him  with 
great  joy  in  London,  and  they  "  compared  their  experience 
in  the  things  of  God."  The  doctrine  of  predestination, 
on  which  so  many  disputes  have  arisen  in  the  Church,  and 
which  was  soon  to  be  Avarmly  debated  among  the  first 
Methodists,  was  soon  after  started  at  a  meeting  for  expo- 
sition. Mr.  Charles  contented  himself  with  simply  pro- 
testing against  it.  He  now  first  began  to  preach  extem- 
pore. In  a  conference  which  the  brothers  had  with  the 
bishop  of  London,  they  cleared  up  some  complaints  as 
to  their  doctrine  which  he  had  received  against  them, 
and  were  upon  the  whole  treated  by  him  with  liberality. 
He  strongly  disapproved,  however,  of  their  practice  oi 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


69 


rebaptizing  persons  who  had  been  baptized  by  Dissenters, 
in  which  they  exhibited  the  firm  hold  which  their  High 
Church  feehngs  still  retained  upon  their  minds.  His 
lordship  showed  himself,  in  this  respect,  not  only  more 
liberal,  but  better  versed  in  ecclesiastical  law  and  usage. 
The  bishop  at  this,  and  at  other  interviews,  guarded  them 
strongly  against  Antinomianism,  of  which,  however,  they 
were  in  no  danger.  He  was  probably  alarmed,  as  many 
had  been,  at  the  stress  they  laid  on  faith,  not  knowing  the 
necessary  connection  of  the  faith  they  preached  with  uni- 
versal  holiness.  Mr.  Whitefield  was  at  this  time  at  Ox- 
ford, and  pressed  Charles  earnestly  to  accept  a  college 
hving ;  which,  as  Dr.  Whitehead  justly  observes,  "  gives 
pretty  clear  evidence  that  no  plan  of  itinerant  preaching 
was  yet  fixed  on,  nor  indeed  thought  of:  had  any  such 
plan  been  in  agitation  among  them,  it  is  very  certain  Mr. 
Whitefield  would  not  have  urged  this  advice  on  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley,  whom  he  loved  as  a  brother,  and  whose  labours  he 
highly  esteemed."  (Whitehead's  Life.) 

About  this  time  some  disputes  took  place,  in  the  Fetter- 
lane  Society,  as  to  lay-preaching,  and  Mr.  Charles  Wes- 
ley, in  the  absence  of  his  brother,  declared  warmly  against 
it.  He  had  also,  whilst  Mr.  John  Wesley  was  still  at 
Bristol,  a  painful  interview  at  Lambeth,  with  the  arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury.  His  Grace  took  no  exceptions  to 
his  doctrine,  but  condemned  the  irregularity  of  his  pro- 
ceedings, and  even  hinted  at  proceeding  to  excommunica- 
tion. This  threw  him  into  great  perplexity  of  mind,  until 
Mr.  Whitefield,  with  characteristic  boldness,  urged  him  to 
preach  "  in  the  fields  the  next  Sunday :  by  which  step  he 
would  break  down  the  bridge,  render  his  retreat  difficult 
or  impossible,  and  be  forced  to  fight  his  way  forward." 
This  advice  he  followed.  "June  24th,  I  prayed,"  says 
he,  "  and  went  forth  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  I 
found  near  a  thousand  helpless  sinners  waiting  for  the 
word  in  Moorfields.  I  invited  them  in  m}'  Master's 
words,  as  well  as  name :  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour 
and  are  heavy-laden ;  and  I  ivill  give  you  rest.  The 
Lord  was  with  me,  even  me,  the  meanest  of  his  messen- 
gers,  according  to  his  promise.  At  St.  Paul's,  the  psalms, 
lessons,  &c,  for  the  day,  put  new  life  into  me  :  and  so  did 
the  sacrament.    My  load  was  gone,  and  all  my  doubts 


70 


LIFE  OF  THB 


and  scruples.  God  shone  on  my  path,  and  I  knew  this 
was  his  will  concerning  me.  I  walked  to  Kennington 
Common,  and  cried  to  multitudes  upon  multitudes,  Repent 
ye,  and  believe  the  Gospel.  The  Lord  was  my  strength, 
and  my  mouth,  and  my  wisdom.  O  that  all  would  there- 
fore  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness !" 

At  Oxford  also,  he  had  to  sustain  the  severity  of  the  dean 
on  the  subject  of  field  preaching  ;  but  he  seized  the  oppor 
tunity  of  bearing  his  testimony  to  the  doctrine  of  justifica- 
tion by  faith,  by  preaching  with  great  boldness  before  the 
university.  On  his  return  to  London,  he  resumed  field 
preaching  in  Moorfields,  and  on  Kennington  Common. 
At  one  time  it  was  computed  that  as  many  as  ten  thou- 
sand persons  were  collected,  and  great  numbers  were 
roused  to  a  serious  inquiry  after  religion.  His  word  was 
occasionally  attended  with  an  overwhelming  influence. 

That  great  public  attention  should  be  excited  by  these 
extraordinary  and  novel  proceedings ;  and  that  the  digni- 
taries of  the  Church,  and  the  advocates  of  stillness  and 
order,  should  take  the  alarm  at  them,  as  "  doubting  where- 
unto  this  thing  might  grow,"  were  inevitable  consequences. 
A  doctrine  so  obsolete,  that  on  its  revival  it  was  regarded 
as  new  and  dangerous,  was  now  publicly  proclaimed  as 
the  doctrine  of  the  apostles  and  reformers ;  the  con- 
sciousness of  forgiveness  of  sins  was  professed  by  many, 
and  enforced  as  the  possible  attainment  of  all ;  several 
clergymen  of  talents  and  learning,  which  would  have  given 
influence  to  any  cause,  endued  with  mighty  zeal,  and  with 
a  restless  activity,  instead  of  settling  in  parishes,  were 
preaching  in  various  churches  and  private  rooms,  and  to 
vast  multitudes  in  the  open  air,  alternately  in  the  metro- 
polis,  and  at  Bristol,  Oxford,  and  the  interjacent  places. 
They  alarmed  the  careless  by  bringing  before  them  the 
solemnities  of  the  last  judgment ;  they  explained  the  spi- 
rituality  of  that  law,  upon  Avhich  the  self-righteous  trusted 
for  salvation,  and  convinced  them  that  the  justification  of 
man  was  by  the  grace  of  God  alone  through  faith ;  and 
they  roused  the  dozing  adherents  of  mere  forms,  by  teach- 
ing  that  true  religion  implies  a  change  of  the  whole  heart 
wrought  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  With  equal  zeal  and  earnest- 
ness,  they  checked  the  pruriency  of  the  Calvinistic  system, 
as  held  by  many  Dissenters,  by  insisting  that  the  law  which 


RKV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


71 


cannot  justify,  was  still  the  rule  of  life,  and  the  standard  of 
holiness  to  all  true  believers ;  and  taught  that  mere  doc 
trinal  views  of  evangelical  truth,  however  correct,  were 
quite  as  vain  and  unprofitable  as  Pharisaism  and  formality, 
when  made  a  substitute  for  vital  faith,  spirituality,  and 
practical  holiness.  All  this  zeal  was  supported  and  made 
more  noticeable,  by  the  moral  elevation  of  their  character. 
Their  conduct  was  scrupulously  hallowed ;  their  spirit, 
gentle,  tender,  and  sympathizing  ;  their  courage,  bold  and 
undaunted ;  their  patience,  proof  against  all  reproach, 
hardships,  persecutions ;  their  charities  to  the  poor  abound, 
ed  to  the  full  extent  of  all  their  resources ;  their  labours 
were  wholly  gratuitous ;  and  their  wonderful  activity,  and 
endurance  of  the  fatigues  of  rapid  travelling,  seemed  to 
destroy  the  distance  of  place,  and  to  give  them  a  sort  of 
ubiquity  in  the  vast  circuit  which  they  had  then  adopted 
as  the  field  of  their  labours.  For  all  these  reasons,  they 
"  were  men  to  be  wondered  at,"  even  in  this  the  infancy 
of  their  career ;  and  as  their  ardour  was  increased  by  the 
effects  which  followed,  the  conversion  of  great  numbers  to 
God,  of  which  the  most  satisfactory  evidence  Avas  afford, 
ed,  it  disappointed  those  who  anticipated  that  their  zeal 
would  soon  cool,  and  that,  "  shorn  of  their  strength"  by 
opposition,  reproach,  and  exhausting  labours,  they  would 
become  "  like  other  men." 

An  infidel  or  semi-Christian  philosophy  has  its  theories 
at  hand  to  account  for  the  appearance  and  conduct  of  such 
extraordinary  men.  If  their  own  supposed  "  artifices," 
and  the  "  temptation  to  place  themselves  at  the  head  of  a 
sect,"  will  not  solve  the  case  ;  it  then  resorts  "  to  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  age,"  or  to  "  that  restless  activity  and 
ambition"  which  finds  in  them  "a  promising  sphere  of 
action,  and  is  attracted  onward  by  its  first  successes." 
Even  many  serious  Churchijien  of  later  times,  who  con- 
tend that  the  great  men  of  the  Reformation  were  raised  up 
by  Divine  Providence  in  mercy  to  the  world,  are  kept  by 
sectarian  prejudices  from  acknowledging  a  similar  provi- 
dential leading  in  the  case  of  the  Wesleys,  Whitefield,  and 
Howell  Harris,  because  the  whole  of  the  good  effected  has 
not  rested  within  their  own  pale,  and  all  the  sheep  collect- 
ed out  of  the  wilderness  have  not  been  gathered  into  their 
own  fold.    The  sober  Christian  will,  however,  resort  to 


72 


IIPE  OF  THE 


the  first  principles  of  his  own  religion  in  order  to  form  his 
judgment.  He  will  acknowledge  that  the  Lord  of  the  har- 
vest has  the  prerogative  of  "  sending  forth  his  labourers ;" 
that  men  who  change  the  religious  aspect  of  whole  nations 
cannot  be  the  offspring  of  chance,  or  the  creation  of  cir- 
cumstances ;  that,  whatever  there  may  be  of  personal 
fitness  in  them  for  the  work,  as  in  the  eminent  natural  and 
acquired  talents  of  St.  Paul ;  and  whatever  there  may  be 
in  circumstances  to  favour  their  usefulness,  these  things 
do  not  shut  out  the  special  agency  of  God,  but  make  it  the 
more  manifest ;  since  the  first  more  strikingly  marks  his 
agency  in  preparing  his  own  servants,  and  training  his  sol- 
diers ;  and  the  second,  his  wisdom  in  choosing  the  times 
of  their  appearance,  and  the  scenes  of  their  labours,  and 
thus  setting  before  them  "an  open  door,  and  effectual." 
Nor  can  it  be  allowed,  if  we  abide  by  the  doctrine  of  the 
Scriptures,  that  a  real  spiritual  good  could  have  been  so 
extensively  and  uniformly  effected,  and  "multitudes  turned 
to  the  Lord,"  unless  God  had  been  with  the  instruments, 
seconding  their  labours,  and  "giving  his  own  testimony  to 
the  word  of  his  grace."  The  hand  of  God  is  equally  con- 
spicuous in  connecting  the  leading  events  of  their  earlier 
history  with  their  future  usefulness.  They  were  men 
"separated  to  the  Gospel  of  God;"  and  cveiy  devout  and 
grateful  Christian  will  not  cease  to  recognize  in  their  ap- 
pearance,  labours,  and  successes,  the  mercy  of  God  to  a 
land  where  "  truth  had  fallen  in  the  streets,"  and  the  people 
were  sitting  in  darkness,  and  in  the  shadow  of  death. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

We  left  Mr.  Wesley  at  Bristol,  in  the  summer  of  1739, 
to  which  scene  of  labour,  after  a  visit  to  London,  he  again 
returned.  Kingswood  was  mentioned  in  the  account  given 
by  Mr.  Wesley,  in  the  preceding  chapter,  of  his  labours ; 
and  in  this  district,  inhabited  by  colliers,  and,  from  its  rude- 
ness, a  terror  to  the  neighbourhood,  the  preaching  of  the 
two  brothers  and  of  Mr.  Whitefield  was  eminently  success- 
ful. The  colliers  were  even  proverbial  for  wickedness; 
but  many  of  them  became  truly  exemplary  for  their  piety. 
These  had  been  exhorted,  it  seems,  to  go  to  Bristol  to 


BBV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


73 


receive  the  sacrament ;  but  their  numbers  were  so  consi- 
derable  that  the  Bristol  clergy,*  averse  to  the  additional 
labour  imposed  upon  them,  repelled  them  from  the  com- 
munion,  on  the  plea  that  they  did  not  belong  to  their 
parishes. 

The  effect  of  the  leaven  which  had  been  thus  placed  in 
this  mass  of  barbarism  was  made  conspicuous  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  in  the  case  of  a  riot,  of  which  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley  gives  the  following  account.  Being  informed  that 
the  colliers  had  risen,  on  account  of  the  dearness  of  corn, 
and  were  marching  for  Bristol,  he  rode  out  to  meet  them, 
and  talk  with  them.  Many  seemed  disposed  to  return  with 
him  to  the  school  which  had  been  built  for  their  children ; 
but  the  most  desperate  rushed  violently  upon  them,  beat- 
ing them,  and  driving  them  away  fi'om  their  pacific  adviser 
He  adds,  "  I  rode  up  to  a  ruffian,  who  was  stiiking  one  of 
our  colUers,  and  prayed  him  rather  to  strike  me.  He 
answered,  '  No,  not  for  all  the  world,'  and  was  quite  over- 
come. I  turned  upon  another,  Avho  struck  my  horse,  and 
he  also  sunk  into  a  lamb.  Wherever  I  turned,  Satan's 
cause  lost  ground,  so  that  they  were  obliged  to  make  one 
general  assault,  and  the  violent  colliers  forced  the  quiet 
ones  into  the  town.  I  seized  one  of  the  tallest,  and  ear- 
nestly besought  him  to  follow  me.  Yes,  he  said,  that  he 
would,  aU  the  world  over.  I  pressed  about  six  into  the 
service.  We  met  several  parties,  and  stopped  and  exhort- 
ed them  to  follow  us  ;  and  gleaning  some  from  every  com- 
pany,  we  inci'eased  as  we  marched  on  singing  to  the  school. 
From  one  till  three  o'clock  we  spent  in  prayer,  that  evil 
might  be  prevented,  and  the  lion  chained.  Then  news 
was  brought  us  that  the  colliers  were  returned  in  peace. 
They  had  walked  quietly  into  the  city,  without  sticks  or 
the  least  violence.  A  few  of  the  better  sort  of  them  went 
to  the  mayor,  and  told  their  grievance  ;  then  they  all  re- 
turned as  they  came,  without  noise  or  disturbance.  All 

*  Several  of  the  Bristol  clergy  were  at  that  time  of  a  persecuting 
character.  They  induced  a  Captain  Williams,  the  master  of  a  vessel 
trading  to  Georgia,  to  make  an  affidavit  of  some  statements  to  the  dis- 
advantage of  Mr.  Wesley  in  the  affair  of  Mrs.  Williamson  ;  but  they 
took  care  that  he  should  set  sail  before  they  published  it.  Tliis  led 
to  the  publication  of  Mr.  Wesley's  first  journal,  as  he  states  in  the 
preface.  In  that  journal  he  gave  his  own  account  of  the  matter,  and 
they  were  silenced. 

7 


u 


MPB  OP  THE 


who  saw  it  were  amazed.  Nothing  could  more  clearly 
have  shown  the  change  wrought  among  them  than  this 
conduct  on  such  an  occasion." — "I  found  afterward  that 
all  our  colliers  to  a  man  had  been  forced  away.  Having 
learned  of  Christ  not  to  resist  evil,  they  went  a  mile  with 
those  who  compelled  them,  rather  than  free  themselves  by 
violence.  One  man  the  rioters  dragged  out  of  his  sick  bed, 
and  threw  him  into  the  fish  pond.  Near  twenty  of  Mr. 
Willis's  men  they  had  prevailed  on,  by  threatening  to  fill 
up  their  pits,  and  buiy  them  alive  if  they  did  not  come  up 
and  bear  them  company." — "  It  was  a  happy  circumstance 
that  they  forced  so  many  of  the  Methodist  colliers  to  go 
with  them  ;  as  these,  by  their  advice  and  example,  restrain- 
ed the  savage  fury  of  the  others.  This  undoubtedly  was 
the  true  cause  why  they  all  returned  home  without  making 
any  disturbance." 

To  a  gentleman  who  requested  some  account  of  what 
had  been  done  in  Kingswood,  Mr.  John  Wesley  wrote  the 
following  statement : — 

"  Few  persons  have  lived  long  in  the  west  of  England 
who  have  not  heard  of  the  colliers  of  Kingswood,  a  people 
famous,  from  the  beginning  hitherto,  for  neither  fearing 
God  nor  regarding  man  ;  so  ignorant  of  the  things  of  God, 
that  they  seemed  but  one  remove  from  beasts  that  perish, 
and  therefore  utterly  without  the  desire  of  instruction,  as 
well  as  without  the  means  of  it. 

"  Many  last  winter  used  tauntingly  to  say  of  Mr.  White- 
field,  '  If  he  will  convert  heathens,  why  does  not  he  go  to 
the  colliers  of  Kingswood  ?'  In  the  spring  he  did  so.  And 
as  there  were  thousands  who  resorted  to  no  place  of  public 
worship,  he  went  after  them  into  their  own  '  wilderness,  to 
seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost.'  When  he  was  called 
away,  others  went  into  '  the  highways  and  hedges,  to  com- 
pel  them  to  come  in.'  And,  by  the  grace  of  God,  their 
labour  was  not  in  vain.  The  scene  is  already  changed. 
Kingswood  does  not  now,  as  a  year  ago,  resound  with 
cursing  and  blasphemy.  It  is  no  more  filled  with  drunk- 
enness and  uncleanness,  and  the  idle  diversions  that  natu- 
rally  lead  thereto.  It  is  no  longer  full  of  wars  and  fightings, 
of  clamour  and  bitterness,  of  wrath  and  envyings.  Peace 
and  love  are  there.  Great  numbers  of  the  people  are  mild, 
gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreated.  They  '  do  not  cry,  neither 


KEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


75 


strive  ;'  and  hardly  is  'their  voice  heard  in  the  streets,'  or 
indeed  in  their  own  wood,  unless  when  they  are  at  their  usual 
evening  diversion,  singing  praise  unto  God  their  Saviour." 

At  this  time  Mr.  Wesley  visited  Bath,  where  the  cele- 
brated  Beau  Nash,  then  lord  of  the  ascendant  in  that  city, 
attempted  to  confront  the  field  preacher. 

There  was  great  expectation  at  Bath,  of  what  a  noted 
man  was  to  do  to  me  there :  and  I  was  much  entreated 
'  not  to  preach  ;  because  no  one  knew  w  hat  might  happen.' 
By  this  report  I  also  gained  a  much  larger  audience,  among 
whom  were  many  of  the  rich  and  great,  I  told  them  plain- 
ly, the  Scripture  had  concluded  them  all  under  sin,  high 
and  low,  rich  and  poor,  one  w  ith  another.  3Iany  of  them 
seemed  to  be  not  a  little  surprised,  and  were  sinking  apace 
into  seriousness,  when  their  champion  appeared,  and, 
coming  close  to  me,  asked  by  what  authority  I  did  these 
things.  I  replied.  By  the  authority  of  Jesus  Christ,  con- 
veyed to  me  by  the  (now)  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  when 
he  laid  his  hands  upon  me,  and  said, '  Take  thou  authority 
to  preach  the  Gospel.'  He  said,  'This  is  contraiy  to  act 
of  parliament.  This  is  a  conventicle.'  I  answered,  '  Sir, 
the  conventicles  mentioned  in  that  act  (as  the  preamble 
shows)  are  seditious  meetings.  But  this  is  not  such.  Here 
is  no  shadow  of  sedition.  Therefore  it  is  not  contrary  to 
that  act.'  He  repUed,  '  I  say  it  is.  And  beside,  your 
preaching  frightens  people  out  of  their  wits.'  '  Sir,  did  you 
ever  hear  me  preach  /'  '  No.'  '  How^  then  can  you  judge 
of  what  you  never  heard  V  '  Sir,  by  common  report.  Com- 
mon report  is  enough.'  '  Give  me  leave,  sir,  to  ask,  Is  not 
your  name  Nash?'  'My  name  is  Nash.'  'Sir,  I  dare 
not  judge  of  you  by  common  report.  I  think  it  is  not 
enough  to  judge  by.'  Here  he  paused  awhile,  and  having 
recovered  himself,  asked,  '  I  desire  to  know  what  this  peo- 
ple come  here  for  V  On  which  one  replied,  '  Sir,  leave 
him  to  mc.  Let  an  old  woman  answer  him.'  '  You,  Mr. 
Nash,  take  care  of  your  body.  We  take  care  of  our  souls, 
and  for  the  good  of  our  souls  we  come  here.'  He  replied 
not  a  word,  but  walked  away. 

"  As  I  returned,  the  street  was  full  of  people,  hurrj'ing 
to  and  fro,  and  speaking  great  words.  But  when  any  of 
them  asked,  '  Which  is  he  ?'  and  I  replied,  '  I  am  he,' 
they  were  immediately  silent.    Several  ladies  following 


76 


UFE  OP  THE 


me  into  Mr.  Merchant's  house,  the  servant  told  me,  there 
were  some  wanted  to  speak  with  me.  I  went  to  them, 
and  said,  '  I  beUeve,  ladies,  the  maid  mistook ;  you  only 
wanted  to  look  at  me.'  I  added,  '  I  do  not  expect  that 
the  rich  and  great  should  want  either  to  speak  with  ?ne,  or 
to  hear  me,  for  I  speak  the  plain  truth  ;  a  thing  you  hear 
little  of,  and  do  not  desire  to  hear.'  A  few  more  words 
passed  between  us,  and  I  retired."  {Journal.^ 

After  visiting  London,  and  preaching  to  vast  multitudes 
in  Moorfields,  on  Kennington  Common,  and  other  places, 
some  of  whom  were  strangely  affected,  and  many  effectu- 
ally awakened  to  a  sense  of  sin,  in  October  Mr.  Wesley 
had  a  pressing  invitation  to  Wales,  where,  although  the 
churches  were  shut  against  him,  he  preached  in  private 
houses,  and  in  the  open  air,  often  during  sharp  frosts,  and 
was  gladly  received  by  the  people.  "  I  have  seen,"  says 
he,  "  no  part  of  England  so  pleasant,  for  sixty  or  seventy 
miles  together,  as  those  parts  of  Wales  I  have  been  in  , 
and  most  of  the  inhabitants  are  indeed  ripe  for  the  Gospel. 
I  mean,  if  the  expression  seems  strange,  they  are  earn- 
estly  desirous  of  being  instructed  in  it ;  and  as  utterly 
ignorant  of  it  they  are  as  any  Creek  or  Cherokee  Indians. 
I  do  not  mean  they  are  ignorant  of  the  name  of  Christ ; 
many  of  them  can  say  both  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  the 
Belief;  nay,  and  some,  all  the  Catechism  ;  but  take  them 
out  of  the  road  of  what  they  have  learned  by  rote,  and 
they  know  no  more  (nine  in  ten  of  those  with  whom  I 
conversed)  either  of  Gospel  salvation,  or  of  that  faith 
whereby  alone  we  are  saved,  than  Chicali,  or  Tomo  Cha- 
chi.  Now  what  spirit  is  he  of  who  had  rather  these  poor 
creatures  should  perish  for  lack  of  knowledge  than  that 
they  should  be  saved,  even  by  the  exhortations  of  Howell 
Harris,  or  an  itinerant  preacher  ?  The  word  did  not  fall 
to  the  ground.  Many  repented,  and  believed  the  Gospel. 
And  some  joined  together  to  strengthen  each  other's 
hands  in  God,  and  to  provoke  one  another  to  love  and  to 
good  works."  {Journal,) 

About  this  time  he  stated  his  doctrinal  views  in  perhaps 
as  clear  a  manner,  though  in  a  summary  form,  as  at  any 
period  subsequently : — 

"A  serious  clergyman  desired  to  know  in  what  points 
we  differed  from  the  Church  of  England.    I  answered, 


BBV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


77 


To  the  best  of  my  knowledge,  in  none ;  the  doctrines  M^e 
preach  are  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  England,  in- 
deed the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  Church  clearly  laid 
down,  both  in  her  Prayers,  Articles,  and  Homihes. 

"  He  asked,  '  In  what  points  then  do  you  differ  from 
the  other  clergy  of  the  Church  of  England  V  I  answered, 
In  none  from  that  part  of  the  clergy  who  adhere  to  the 
doctrines  of  the  Church  ;  but  from  that  part  of  the  clergy 
who  dissent  from  the  Church  (though  they  own  it  not)  I 
differ  in  the  points  following  : — 

"  First,  They  speak  of  justification,  either  as  the  same 
thing  with  sanctification,  or  as  something  consequent  upon 
it.  I  beheve  justification  to  be  wholly  distinct  from  sane 
tification,  and  necessarily  antecedent  to  it. 

"  Secondly,  They  speak  of  our  own  holiness  or  good 
works  as  the  cause  of  our  justification,  or  that  for  the 
sake  of  which,  on  account  of  which,  we  are  justified  be- 
fore God.  I  believe,  neither  our  own  hoUness  nor  good 
works  are  any  part  of  the  cause  of  our  justification  ;  but 
that  the  death  and  righteousness  of  Christ  are  the  whole 
and  sole  cause  of  it,  or  that  for  tlie  sake  of  which,  on  ac- 
count of  which,  we  are  justified  before  God. 

"  Thirdly,  They  speak  of  good  works  as  a  condition 
of  justification,  necessarily  previous  to  it.  I  believe,  no 
good  work  can  be  previous  to  justification,  nor,  conse- 
quently, a  condition  of  it ;  but  that  we  are  justified, 
(being  till  that  hour  ungodly,  and  therefore  incapable 
of  doing  any  good  work)  by  faith  alone ;  faith,  without 
works ;  faith,  though  producing  all,  yet  including  no  good 
works. 

"  Fourthly,  They  speak  of  sanctification,  or  holiness, 
as  if  it  were  an  outward  thing ;  as  if  it  consisted  chiefly, 
if  not  wholly,  in  these  two  points :  1.  The  doing  no  harm : 
2.  The  doing  good,  as  it  is  called ;  that  is,  the  using  the 
means  of  grace,  and  helping  our  neighbour. 

"  I  believe  it  to  be  an  inward  thing,  namely,  '  the  life 
of  God  in  the  soul  of  man  ;  a  participation  of  the  Divine 
nature  ;  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ ;'  or,  '  the  renewal 
of  our  heart  after  the  image  of  Him  that  created  us.' 

"  Lastly,  They  speak  of  the  new  birth  as  an  outward 
thing ;  as  if  it  were  no  more  than  baptism,  or,  at  most,  a 
change  from  outward  wickedness  to  outward  goodness. 


78 


LIFE  OF  THE 


from  a  vicious  to  what  is  called  a  virtuous  life.  I  believe 
it  to  be  an  inward  thing ;  a  change  from  inward  wicked- 
ness to  inward  goodness  ;  an  entire  change  of  our  inmost 
nature  from  the  image  of  the  devil,  wherein  we  are  born, 
to  the  image  of  God ;  a  change  from  the  love  of  the 
creature  to  the  love  of  the  Creator,  from  earthly  and  sen- 
sual to  heavenly  and  holy  affections  ;  in  a  word,  a  change 
from  the  tempers  of  the  spirits  of  darkness  to  those  of  the 
angels  of  God  in  heaven. 

"There  is  therefore  a  wide,  essential,  fundamental, 
irreconcilable  difference  between  us ;  so  that  if  they  speak 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  I  am  found  a  false  witness  be- 
fore  God.  But  if  I  teach  the  way  of  God  in  truth,  they 
are  bUnd  leaders  of  the  blind."  {Journal.) 

Disputes  having  arisen  between  the  Methodists  and 
Moravians,  who  still  formed  one  society  at  Fetter-lane, 
Mr.  Wesley  returned  to  London.  Over  this  society  he 
professed  to  have  no  authority,  and,  as  it  appeared,  had 
but  little  influence.  Various  new  doctrines  of  a  mystical 
kind,  which  he  thought  dangerous,  had  been  introduced  by 
several  of  the  teachers ;  and  it  seems  he  foresaw  a  sepa- 
ration from  them  to  be  inevitable,  for  he  had  taken  a 
place  near  Moorfields,  which  had  been  used  as  a  foundery 
for  casting  cannon  ;  and  on  this  visit  he  preached  in  it  to 
very  numerous  congregations.  He  was  on  this  and  other 
visits  to  London  unsuccessful  in  settling  the  disputes 
which  had  arisen  in  the  society ;  and  in  June,  1740,  he 
again  came  to  London,  and  spent  upward  of  a  month 
among  them,  occupied  at  intervals  in  the  same  attempt. 
His  efforts  being  fruitless,  he  read  to  them  the  following 
paper : — 

"  About  nine  months  ago,  certain  of  you  began  to  speak 
contrary  to  the  doctrine  we  had  till  then  received.  The 
sum  of  what  you  asserted  is  this  :  1.  That  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  weak  faith  :  that  there  is  no  justifying  faith,  where 
there  is  ever  any  doubt  or  fear ;  or  where  there  is  not,  in 
the  full  sense,  a  new,  a  clean  heart.  2.  That  a  man  ought 
not  to  use  those  ordinances  of  God,  which  our  Church 
terms  means  of  grace,  before  he  has  such  a  faith  as  ex- 
cludes all  doubt  and  fear,  and  impUes  a  new,  a  clean  heart. 
3.  You  have  often  affirmed,  that  to  search  the  Scriptures, 
to  pray,  or  to  communicate,  before  we  have  this  faith,  is  to 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


79 


seek  salvation  by  works ;  and  till  these  works  are  laid 
aside,  no  man  can  receive  faith. 

"  I  believe  these  assertions  to  be  flatly  contrary  to  the 
word  of  God.  I  have  warned  you  hereof  again  and  again, 
and  besouglit  you  to  turn  back  to  the  law  and  to  the  testi- 
mony. I  have  borne  with  you  long,  hoping  you  would 
turn.  But  as  I  find  you  more  and  more  confirmed  in  the 
error  of  your  ways,  nothing  now  remains  but  that  I  should 
give  you  up  to  God.  You  that  are  of  the  same  judgment 
follow  me." — "  I  then,"  adds  3Ir.  Wesley,  "  without  saying 
any  thing  more,  withdrew,  as  did  eighteen  or  nineteen  of 
the  society." 

Those  who  continued  to  adhere  to  him  then  met  at  the 
Founder)',  the  whole  number  amounting  to  about  seventy- 
two.  The  Moravian  teacher  Molther  appears  to  have  been 
the  chief  author  of  the  novel  opinions  objected  to  by  Mr. 
Wesley,  whom  however  Peter  Bohler  thought  Mr.  Wesley 
misunderstood ;  which  was  not  likely,  as  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley  mentions  the  same  things  in  his  journal.  Toward 
the  Moravian  Church  at  large,  Mr.  Wesley  continued  to 
feel  an  unabated  affection  ;  but  as  he  was  never  a  member 
of  that  Church,  and  maintained  only  a  kind  of  co-fraternity 
with  those  of  them  who  were  in  London,  when  these  be- 
came infected  with  novel  opinions,  his  departure  from 
them,  with  such  as  were  of  the  same  mind  as  himself,  and 
were  also  members  of  the  Church  of  England,  was  a  step  of 
prudence  and  of  peace.  From  a  conversation  which  he  had 
with  Count  Zinzendorf  a  short  time  afterward,  and  which 
he  has  published,  it  would  seem  that  a  refined  species  of 
Antinomianism  had  crept  in  amongst  the  Moravians  ;  and 
that  the  Count  was  at  that  time  by  no  means  a  teacher  of 
the  class  of  Peter  Bohler.  But,  to  afiirm  with  Zinzendorf, 
that  there  is  nothing  but  imputed  righteousness,  and  to  re- 
ject inherent  righteousness; — to  insist  upon  all  our  perfec- 
tion being  in  Christ,  and  to  deny  the  Christian  perfection 
or  maturity  which  believers  derive /?-oot  him, — was  not  in 
accordance  ivith  the  Moravian  Church,  appears  from  the 
following  extract  from  the  authorized  exposition  of  their 
doctrines  by  Spangenberg,  which,  as  the  perversions  of 
these  "  wrong-headed  men"  have  been  mentioned,  it  would 
be  unjust  to  the  body  of  Moravians  to  withhold  : — 

"  Although  this  faith,  which  is  so  peculiar  to  all  the 


80 


UFB  OF  THE 


children  of  God,  that  whoever  has  it  not  is  no  child  of  God, 

does  no  outward  wonders  and  signs,  raises  none  from  the 
dead,  removes  no  mountains,  yet  it  does  and  performs  other 
things,  which  are  of  much  greater  importance.  What 
are  those  things  ?  Answer  :  We  through  faith  attain  to 
the  enjoyment  of  that  which  Christ  hath  by  his  sacrifice 
purchased  for  us.  We  are,  (1.)  Through  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ  made  free  from  the  dominion  of  sin.  Paul  says, 
'  Sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you,  for  ye  are  not  un- 
der the  law,  but  under  grace,'  Rom.  vi,  14. 

"  All  those  who  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  are  freed  from 
the  curse  and  condemnation  of  the  law ;  they  obtain  for- 
giveness  of  sins,  become  the  adopted  children  of  God,  and 
are  sealed  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  These  are  they,  then, 
who  are  made  free  from  the  dominion  of  sin,  because  they 
are  under  grace.  Now  when  they  are  thus  exhorted, « Let 
not  sin  reign  in  your  mortal  body,  that  ye  should  obey  it 
in  the  lusts  thereof;  neither  yield  ye  your  members  as  in- 
struments  of  unrighteousness  unto  sin,'  &c,  Rom.  vi.  12, 
13  ;  they  cannot  say,  O  that  is  impossible  for  us;  we  are 
but  sinful  men ;  the  flesh  is  weak,  and  the  like.  For  they 
have  Jesus  Christ,  who  saveth  his  people  from  their  sins ; 
they  have  a  Father  in  heaven,  who  heareth  their  prayer 
and  supplication.  The  Holy  Ghost  dwells  in  their  hearts, 
and  strengthens  them  in  all  that  is  good.  If  they  therefore 
do  but  rightly  make  use  of  the  grace  wherein  through  faith 
they  stand,  then  sin  can  have  no  dominion  over  them. 
This  is  exactly  what  John  says,  1st  Epist.  iii,  9,  '  Whoso- 
ever  is  born  of  God,  doth  not  commit  sin,'  (he  doth  not 
let  sin  reign,  or  have  the  dominion  in  his  mortal  body,  that 
he  should  obey  it  in  the  lusts  thereof,)  '  for  his  seed  re- 
maineth  in  him  ;  and  he  cannot  sin,  because  he  is  born  of 
God.'  That  is,  his  heart  will  comply  with  no  such  thing; 
for  he  loves  our  Saviour,  being  a  child  of  God,  and  a  par- 
taker of  the  Holy  Ghost."  {Exposition,  pp.  215,  216.) 

Not  only  Antinomian  errors,  but  mystic  notions  of  ceas- 
ing from  ordinances  and  waiting  for  faith  in  stillness, 
greatly  prevailed  also  among  the  Moravians  in  London  at 
this  time,  and  were  afterward  carried  by  them  into  many 
of  the  country  Methodist  Societies  in  Yorkshire,Derbyshire, 
and  other  places.  Of  the  effect  at  Nottingham,  Mr.  Wesley 
gives  a  curious  account  in  his  journal  for  June,  1743  : — 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLET. 


81 


"  In  the  afternoon  we  went  on  to  Nottingham,  where 
Mr.  Howe  received  us  gladly.  At  eight  the  society  met, 
as  usual.  I  could  not  but  observe,  1.  That  the  room  was 
not  half  full,  which  used,  until  very  lately,  to  be  crowded 
M'ithin  and  without.  2.  That  not  one  person  who  came 
in  used  any  prayer  at  all ;  but  every  one  immediately  sat 
down,  and  began  either  talking  to  his  neighbour,  or  look- 
ing about  to  see  who  was  there.  3.  That  when  I  began 
to  pray,  there  appeared  a  general  surprise,  no  one  offering 
to  kneel  down,  and  those  who  stood,  choosing  the  most 
easy,  indolent  posture  which  they  conveniently  could.  I 
afterward  looked  for  one  of  our  hymn  books  upon  the 
desk,  (for  I  kncAv  Mr.  Howe  had  brought  one  from  Lon- 
don,)  but  both  that  and  the  Bible  were  vanished  away. 
And  in  the  room  lay  the  Moravian  Hymns,  and  the  Count's 
Sermons."  [Journal.) 

That  incautious  book,  Luther  on  the  Galatians,  appears 
to  have  been  the  source  of  the  Antinomianism  of  the  Mo- 
ravians ;  and  their  quietism  they  learned  from  Madame 
Guion,  and  other  French  mystic  writers. 

The  Methodist  Society,  as  that  name  distinguishes  the 
people  who  to  this  day  acknowledge  Mr.  Wesley  as  their 
founder  under  God,  was,  properly  speaking,  as  a  society 
specially  under  his  pastoral  charge,  collected  in  this  year, 
(1740,)  at  the  chapel  in  Moorfields,  where  he  regularly 
preached,  and  where,  by  the  blessing  of  God  upon  his  and 
Mr.  Charles  Wesley's  labours,  the  society  rapidly  increas- 
ed.  For  this,  and  for  the  societies  in  Bristol,  Kingswood, 
and  other  parts,  he,  in  1743,  drew  up  a  set  of  rules,  which 
continue  in  force  to  the  present  time,  and  the  observance 
of  which  was  then,  and  continues  to  be,  the  condition  of 
membership.  They  are  so  well  known  as  to  render  it 
unnecessary  to  quote  them.  It  may  only  be  observed, 
that  they  enjoin  no  pecuhar  opinions,  and  relate  entirely 
to  moral  conduct,  to  charitable  offices,  and  to  the  observ- 
ance of  the  ordinances  of  God.  Churchmen  or  Dissent- 
ers, walking  by  these  rules,  might  become  and  remain  mem- 
bers of  these  societies,  provided  they  held  their  doctrinal 
views  and  disciplinary  prepossessions  in  peace  and  cha- 
rity. The  sole  object  of  the  union  was  to  assist  the  mem- 
hers  to  "  make  their  calling  and  election  sure,"  by  culti- 
vating the  religion  of  the  heart,  and  a  holy  conformity  to 


82 


LIFE  OF  THE 


the  laws  of  Christ.  These  rules  bear  the  signature  of 
John  and  Charles  Wesley. 

Mr.  Wesley's  mother  about  this  time  began  to  attend 
his  ministry.  She  had  been  somewhat  prejudiced  against 
her  sons  by  reports  of  their  "  errors"  and  "  extravagan- 
cies ;"  but  was  convinced,  upon  hearing  them,  that  they 
spoke  "according  to  the  oracles  of  God."  There  is  an 
interesting  entry  in  Mr.  Wesley's  Journal  respecting  this 
venerable  woman  : — 

"  September  3.  I  talked  largely  with  my  mother,  who 
told  me,  that,  till  a  short  time  since,  she  had  scarce  heard 
such  a  thing  mentioned  as  the  having  forgiveness  of  sins 
now,  or  God's  Spirit  bearing  witness  with  our  spirit :  much 
less  did  she  imagine,  that  this  was  the  common  privilege 
of  all  true  believers.  '  Therefore,'  said  she,  '  I  never  durst 
ask  for  it  myself.  But  two  or  three  weeks  ago,  while  my 
son  Hall  was  pronouncing  those  words,  in  delivering  the 
cup  to  me.  The  blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  which  was 
given  for  thee ;  the  words  struck  through  my  heart,  and  I 
knew  God  for  Christ's  sake  had  forgiven  me  all  my  sins.' 

"  I  asked,  whether  her  father  (Dr.  Annesley)  had  not 
the  same  faith ;  and,  whether  she  had  not  heard  him 
preach  it  to  others.  She  answered,  '  He  had  it  himself, 
and  declaimed  a  little  before  his  death,  that,  for  more  than 
forty  years,  he  had  no  darkness,  no  fear,  no  doubt  at  all 
of  his  being  accepted  in  the  Beloved.'  But  that,  neverthe- 
less, she  did  not  remember  to  have  heard  him  preach,  no, 
not  once,  explicitly  upon  it :  Avhence  she  supposed  he  also 
looked  upon  it  as  the  peculiar  blessing  of  a  few,  not  as 
promised  to  all  the  people  of  God."  (Journal.) 

The  extraordinary  manner  in  which  some  persons  were 
frequently  affected  under  Mr.  Wesley's  preaching,  as  well 
as  that  of  his  coadjutors,  now  created  much  discussion, 
and  to  many  gave  great  offence.  Some  were  seized  with 
trembling ;  others  sunk  down  and  uttered  loud  and  piercing 
cries ;  others  fell  into  a  kind  of  agony.  In  some  instances 
whilst  prayer  was  offered  for  them,  they  rose  up  with  a  sud- 
den change  of  feeling,  testifying  that  they  had  "redemption 
through  the  blood  of  Christ,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins, 
according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace."  Mr.  Samuel  Wesley, 
who  denied  the  knowledge  of  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  treated 
these  things,  in  a  correspondence  with  his  brother,  alter- 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


83 


nately  with  sarcasm  and  serious  severity,  and  particularly 
attacked  the  doctrine  of  assurance.  In  this  controversy, 
Mr.  John  Wesley  attaches  no  weight  whatever  to  these  out- 
ward  agitations ;  but  contends  that  he  is  bound  to  beheve 
the  profession  made  by  many,  who  had  been  so  affected, 
of  an  inward  change,  because  that  had  been  confirmed  by 
their  subsequent  conduct  and  spirit.  On  the  subject  of 
assurance,  the  disputants  put  forth  their  logical  acuteness  ; 
but  the  result  appears  to  have  been  upon  the  whole  in- 
stmctive  to  the  elder  brother ;  whose  letters  soften  con- 
siderably tow  ard  the  close  of  the  dispute.  Mr.  Samuel 
Wesley  died  in  the  following  November.  The  circum- 
stances to  which  he  objected,  although  he  knew  them  only 
by  report,  and  was  too  far  removed  from  the  scene  to  be 
an  accurate  judge,  have  since  that  time  furnished  ample 
subject  for  serious  or  satirical  animadversion  to  many  wri- 
ters,  and  to  none  more  than  to  Dr.  Southey.  {Life  of 
Wesley.)  A  few  general  remarks  upon  this  point  may  not 
therefore  be  here  out  of  place.  By  this  writer  it  is  affirm, 
ed,  that  great  importance  was  attached  by  Mr.  Wesley  to 
those  emotions,  and  bodily  affections,  'which  occasionally 
occurred ;  and  that  the  most  visionary  persons,  and  those 
who  pretended  ecstasies,  dreams,  &c,  were,  at  least  in  the 
early  part  of  his  ministiy,  the  objects  of  his  special  respect, 
as  eminently  holy  and  favoured.  This  is  so  far  from  the 
fact,  that  it  is  difficult  to  meet  with  a  divine  whose  views 
of  I'eUgion  are  more  practical  and  definite.  He  did  not 
deny  that  occasionally  "  God,"  even  now,  "  speaketh  in  a 
dream,  in  a  vision  of  the  night,"  and  that  he  may  thus 
"open  the  ears  of  men  to  instruction,  and  command  them 
to  depart  from  iniquity;"  he  believed  that,  in  point  of 
fact,  many  indisputable  cases  of  this  kind  have  occurred 
in  modern  times ;  and  in  this  behef  he  agreed  with  many 
of  the  wisest  and  the  best  of  men.  He  has  recorded 
some  cases  of  what  may  be  called  ecstasy,  generally  with- 
out  an  opinion  of  his  own,  leaving  every  one  to  form  his 
own  judgment  from  the  recorded  fact.  He  unquestionably 
believed  in  special  effusions  of  the  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  upon  congregations  and  individuals,  producing  pow- 
erful  emotions  of  mind,  expressed  in  some  instances  by 
bodily  affections ;  and  he  has  furnished  some  facts  on 
which  Dr.  Southey  has  exercised  his  philosophy  with  a 


84 


LIFE  OF  THE 


success,  probably,  more  satisfactory  to  himself,  than  con- 
vincing to  his  readers.  But  that  any  thing  extraordinary, 
either  of  bodily  or  mental  affection,  was  with  Mr.  Wes- 
^ey,  at  any  time  of  his  life,  of  itself,  deemed  so  important 
as  to  be  regarded  as  a  mark  of  superior  piety,  is  a  most 
unfounded  assumption.  Those  of  his  sermons  which  con- 
tain  the  doctrines  which  he  deemed  essential ;  his  Notes 
on  the  New  Testament ;  and  the  rules  by  which  every 
member  of  his  societies  was  required  to  be  governed,  are 
sufficiently  in  refutation  of  this  notion.  In  them  no  re- 
ference is  made  to  any  thing  visionary  as  a  part,  however 
small,  of  true  religion ;  unless,  indeed,  all  spiritual  reli- 
gion, changing  the  heart,  and  sanctifying  the  affections, 
be  thought  visionary.  The  rule  of  admission  into  his  so- 
cieties was  "a  desire  to  fly  from  the  wrath  to  come,"  but 
then  the  sincerity  of  this  was  to  be  evidenced  by  corres- 
ponding  "  fruits"  in  the  conduct ;  and  on  this  condition 
only,  farther  explained  by  detailed  regulations,  all  of  them 
simple  and  practical,  were  the  members  to  remain  in  con- 
nection with  him.  These  rules  are  the  standing  evidence, 
that,  from  the  first -formation  of  the  Methodist  societies, 
neither  a  speculative  nor  a  visionary  scheme  of  religion 
was  the  basis  of  their  union.  Had  Mr.  Wesley  placed 
reUgion,  in  the  least,  in  those  circumstances,  he  would 
have  set  up  a  very  different  standard  of  doctrine  in  his 
sermons  ;  and  the  rules  of  his  societies  would  have  borne 
an  equivocal  and  mystic  character. 

That  cases  of  real  enthusiasm  occurred  at  this  and 
subsequent  periods  is  indeed  allowed.  There  are  always 
nervous,  di-eamy,  and  excitable  people  to  be  found ;  and 
the  emotion  which  was  produced  among  those  who  were 
really  so  "  pricked  in  the  heart"  as  to  cry  with  a  sincerity 
equal  to  that  which  was  felt  by  those  of  old,  "  What  shall 
we  do  to  be  saved?"  would  often  be  communicated  to 
such  persons  by  natural  sympathy.  No  one  could  be 
blamed  for  this,  unless  he  had  encouraged  the  excitement 
for  its  own  sake,  or  taught  the  people  to  regard  it  as  a 
sign  of  grace,  which  most  assuredly  Mr.  Wesley  never  did. 
Nor  is  it  correct  to  represent  these  effects,  genuine  and 
factitious  together,  as  peculiar  to  Methodism.  A  great 
impression  was  made  by  the  preaching  of  the  Wesleys 
and  Mr.  Whitefield  in  almost  all  places  where  they  went. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


85 


Thousands  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  and  of  those  too 
who  had  Uved  in  the  greatest  unconcern  as  to  spiritual 
things,  and  were  most  ignorant  and  depraved  in  their 
habits,  were  recovered  from  their  vices,  and  the  moral  ap- 
pearance of  whole  neighbourhoods  was  changed.  Yet  the 
effects  were  not  without  precedent  even  in  those  circum- 
stances in  which  they  have  been  thought  most  singular  and 
exceptionable.  Great  and  rapid  results  of  this  kind  w'ere 
produced  in  the  first  ages  of  Christianity,  but  not  without 
"  outcries,"  and  strong  corporeal  as  well  as  mental  emo- 
tions, nay,  and  extravagancies  too.  By  perversion,  even 
condemnable  heresies  arose,  and  a  rank  and  real  enthu- 
siasm  :  but  will  any  man  from  this  argue  against  Chris- 
tianity itself ;  or  aspei'se  the  labours  and  characters  of  those 
holy  men  who  planted  its  genuine  root  in  Asia,  Africa,  and 
Europe  ?  Will  he  say,  that  as,  through  the  corrupt  nature 
of  men,  evil  often  accompanies  good,  one  is  to  be  con- 
founded  with  the  other,  and  that  those  great  evangelists 
were  the  authors  of  the  evil  because  they  w-ere  the  instru- 
mcnts  of  the  benefit  ?  Even  in  the  decUne  of  true  piety 
in  the  Church  of  Clu'ist,  there  were  not  wanting  holy  ancT 
zealous  ministers  to  carry  out  the  tidings  of  salvation  to 
the  barbarous  ancestors  of  European  nations  ;  and  strong 
and  effectual  impressions  were  made  by  their  faithful  and 
powerful  preaching  upon  the  savage  multitudes  who  sur- 
rounded them,  accompanied  with  many  effects  similar  to 
those  which  attended  the  preaching  of  the  Wesleys  and 
Whitefield :  but  all  who  went  on  these  sacred  missions 
were  not  enthusiasts ;  nor  were  all  the  conversions  effected 
by  tiiem  a  mere  exchange  of  superstitions.  Such  objectors 
might  have  known  that  like  effects  often  accompanied  the 
preaching  of  eminent  men  at  the  Reformation,  and  that 
many  of  the  Puritan  and  Nonconformist  ministers  had 
similar  successes  in  large  districts  in  our  own  country. 
They  might  have  known  that,  in  Scotland,  and  also  among 
the  grave  Presbyterians  of  New-England,  previous  to  the 
rise  of  Methodism,  such  impressions  had  not  unfrequently 
been  produced  by  the  ministry  of  faithful  men,  attended  by 
very  similar  circumstances  ;  and  they  might  have  been  in- 
formed that,  though  on  a  smaller  scale,  the  same  results 
have  followed  the  ministry  of  modern  missionaries  of 
different  religious  societies  in  various  parts  of  the  world. 


86 


LIFE  OF  THE 


It  may  be  laid  down  as  a  principle  established  by  fact,  that, 
whenever  a  zealous  and  faithful  ministry  is  raised  up,  after 
a  long  spiritual  death,  the  early  effects  of  that  ministry  are 
not  only  powerful,  but  often  attended  with  extraordinary 
circumstances  ;  nor  are  such  extraordinary  circumstances 
necessarily  extravagancies  because  they  are  not  common. 
If  there  be  an  explicit  truth  in  Scripture,  it  is,  that  the  suc- 
cess of  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  conversion  of 
men,  is  the  consequence  of  Divine  influence ;  and  if  there 
be  a  well-ascertained  fact  in  ecclesiastical  story,  it  is,  that 
no  great  and  indisputable  results  of  this  kind  have  been 
produced  but  by  men  who  have  acknowledged  this  truth, 
and  have  gone  forth  in  humble  dependence  upon  that  pro- 
mised co-operation  contained  in  the  words,  "  And,  lo,  I  am 
with  you  always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world."  This 
fact,  equally  striking  and  notorious,  is  a  strong  confirma- 
tion  that  the  sense  of  the  sacred  oracles  on  this  point  was 
not  mistaken  by  them.  The  testimony  of  the  word  of  God 
is,  that,  as  to  ministerial  success,  "  God  giveth  the  in- 
crease ;"  the  testimony  of  experience  is,  that  no  success 
in  producing  true  conversion  has  ever  taken  place  in  any 
Church,  but  when  this  co-operation  of  God  has  been  ac- 
knowledged and  sought  by  the  agents  employed  in  it. 

The  doctrine  of  Divine  influence,  as  necessary  to  the 
conversion  of  men,  being  thus  grounded  on  the  evidence 
of  Scripture,  and  farther  confirmed  by  fact,  it  may  follow, 
and  that  in  perfect  conformity  with  revelation,  that  such 
influence  may  be  dispensed  in  different  degrees  at  different 
periods.  That  it  was  more  eminently  exerted  at  the  first 
establishment  of  Christianity  than  at  some  other  periods,  is 
certain ;  and  that  not  only  in  extraordinary  gifts,  (for 
though  these  might  awaken  attention  and  silence  unbelief, 
we  have  the  evidence  of  Scripture  history  to  prove,  that 
miracles  cannot  of  themselves  convert  men  from  vice,)  but 
in  sanctifying  energy,  without  which  the  heart  is  never 
brought  to  yield  to  the  authority  and  will  of  God  in  its  choice 
and  affections.  That  in  various  subsequent  periods  there 
have  been  special  dispensations  of  favour  to  nations,  with 
reference  to  the  improvement  of  their  moral  state,  is  clear 
from  a  fact  which  cannot  be  denied,  that  eminently  holy 
and  gifted  men  have  been  raised  up  at  such  periods  for  the 
benefit  of  the  countries  and  the  age  in  which  they  appeared, 


BKV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


87 


from  whose  exertions  they  have  derived  the  highest  moral 
advantages.  For  the  reasons  we  have  given,  we  cannot 
refer  the  appearance  of  such  men  to  chance,  nor  the  for- 
mation of  their  characters  to  the  circumstances  and  spirit 
of  "  stirring  times."  We  leave  these  conclusions  to  the 
philosophy  of  the  world  ;  and  recognize  in  the  appearance 
of  such  instruments,  the  merciful  designs  and  special 
grace  of  Him  "  who  worketh  all  and  in  all."  But  the  argu- 
ment is,  that  if  such  men  have  really  been  the  instruments 
of  ^'  turning  many  to  righteousness,"  and  that  if  the  princi- 
ples of  our  religion  forbid  us  to  believe  that  this  can  be 
done  by  any  gifts  or  qualities  in  them,  however  lofty  ;  then 
according  to  the  Scripture  doctrine,  they  were  "workers 
together  with  God,"  and  the  age  in  which  they  laboured  was 
distinguished  by  a  larger  eff  usion  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon 
the  minds  of  men.  Why  this  should  occur  at  one  time 
more  eminently  than  at  another,  we  pretend  not  to  say  :  but 
even  this  notion,  so  enthusiastic  probably  to  many,  is  still 
in  conformity  to  the  word  of  God,  which  declares  that  "  the 
wind  bloweth  where  it  hsteth,"  and  that  the  influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  like  the  atmosphere,  is  subject  to  laws  not 
ascertainable  by  man  ;  and  if  this  effusion  of  his  influence 
argue  especial,  though  undesei-ved,  favour  to  particular 
nations  and  ages,  this  is  not  more  difficult  to  account  for 
than  that,  at  some  periods  and  places,  men  of  eminent  useful- 
ness should  be  sent  into  the  world,  when  they  do  not  appear 
in  others,  which  being  a  mere  matter  of  fact,  leaves  no 
room  for  cavil.  This  view  Ukewise  accords  with  what  the 
Scriptures  teach  us  to  expect  as  to  the  future.  For  the 
accomplishment  of  the  sublime  consummation  of  the  Divine 
counsels,  agents  of  great  efficiency  and  qualifications,  we 
believe,  will  from  time  to  time  appear ;  but  our  hope  does  not 
rest  on  them,  but  on  Him  only  who  has  explicitly  promised 
to  "  pour  out  his  Spirit  upon  all  flesh,"  at  once  to  give  effi- 
ciency to  instruments  in  themselves  feeble,  however  gifted, 
and  so  "  to  order  the  unruly  wills  and  passions  of  men," 
that  they  may  be  subdued  and  sanctified  by  the  truth.  If 
such  effusions  of  Divine  inffuence  be  looked  for,  and  on 
such  principles,  as  the  means  of  spreading  the  power  of 
Christianity  generally,  we  may  surely  believe  it  quite 
accordant  both  with  the  spirit  and  letter  of  Scripture,  that 
the  same  influence  should  often  be  exerted  to  preserve 


8S 


LIFE  OF  THE 


and  to  revive  religion ;  and  that  if  nations  already  Chris- 
tian, are  to  be  the  instruments  of  extending  Christianity, 
not  in  name  only,  but  in  its  spirit  and  sanctity  into  all  the 
earth,  they  should  be  prepared  for  this  high  designation  by 
the  special  exercise  of  the  same  agency  turning  them  from 
what  is  merely  formal  in  religion  to  its  realities,  and  mak- 
,  ing  them  examples  to  others  of  the  purifying  grace  of  the 
Gospel  of  God  our  Saviour.  Let  it  then  be  supposed, 
(no  great  presumption,  indeed,)  that  Christians  have  quite 
as  good  a  foundation  for  these  opinions  as  others  can  boast 
for  that  paltry  philosophy  by  which  they  would  explain  the 
effects  produced  by  the  preaching  of  holy  and  zealous 
ministers  in  different  ages  ;  and  we  may  conclude  that  such 
effects,  as  far  as  they  are  genuine,  are  the  result  of  Divine 
influence;  and,  when  numerous  and  rapid,  of  a  Divine 
influence  specially  and  eminently  exerted,  giving  more 
than  ordinary  assistance  to  the  minds  of  men  in  their  reli 
gious  concerns,  and  rendering  the  obstinate  more  inexcus 
able  by  louder  and  more  expUcit  calls.  Of  the  extraordinary 
circumstances  which  have  usually  acconjpanied  such  visit- 
ations,  it  may  be  said,  that  if  some  should  be  resolved  into 
purely  natural  causes,  some  into  real  enthusiasm,  and 
(under  favour  of  our  philosophers)  others  into  Satanic 
imitation,  a  sufficient  number  will  remain,  which  can  only 
be  explained  by  considering  them  as  results  of  a  strong 
impression  made  upon  the  consciences  and  affections  of 
men  by  an  influence  ascertained  to  be  Divine,  though 
usually  exerted  through  human  instrumentaUty,  by  its  un- 
questionable effects  upon  the  heart  and  Ufe.  Nor  is  it 
either  irrational  or  unscriptural  to  suppose,  that  times  of 
great  national  darkness  and  depravity,  the  case  certainly 
of  this  country  at  the  outset  of  Mr.  Wesley  and  his  col- 
leiigues  in  their  glorious  career,  should  require  a  strong 
remedy  ;  and  that  the  attention  of  a  sleeping  people  should 
bs  roused  by  circumstances  which  could  not  fail  to  be  no- 
ticed  by  the  most  unthinking.  We  do  not  attach  primary 
importance  to  secondary  circumstances ;  but  they  are  not 
to  be  wholly  disregarded.  The  Lord  was  not  in  the  wind, 
nor  in  the  earthquake,  nor  in  the  fire,  but  in  the  "  still  small 
voice;"  yet  that  "still  small  voice"  might  not  have  been 
heard,  except  by  minds  roused  from  their  inattention  by 
the  shaking  of  the  earth,  and  the  sounding  of  the  storm. 


BBV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


89 


If,  however,  no  special  and  peculiar  effusion  of  Divine 
influence  on  the  minds  of  n:\any  of  Mr.  Wesley's  hearers 
be  supposed ;  if  we  only  assume  the  exertion  of  that  ordi- 
nary- influence  which,  as  we  have  seen,  must  accompany 
the  labours  of  every  minister  of  Christ  to  render  them 
successful  in  saving  men,  the  strong  emotions  often  pro- 
Gviced  by  the  preaching  of  the  founder  of  Methodism,  might 
be  accounted  for  on  principles  very  different  from  those 
adopted  by  many  objectors.  The  multitudes  to  whom  he 
preached  were  generally  grossly  ignorant  of  the  Gospel ; 
and  he  poured  upon  their  minds  a  flood  of  light :  his  dis- 
coures  were  plain,  pointed,  earnest,  and  affectionate  ;  the 
feeling  produced  was  deep,  piercing,  and  in  numberless 
cases,  such  as  we  have  no  right,  if  we  beheve  the  Bible, 
to  attribute  to  any  other  cause  than  that  inward  operation 
of  God  with  his  truth  which  alone  can  render  human  means 
eflectual.  Many  of  those  on  whom  such  impressions  were 
made  retired  in  silence,  and  nurtured  them  by  reflection. 
The  '•  stricken  deer"  hastened  into  solitude,  there  to  bleed, 
unobserved  by  all  but  God.  This  was  the  case  with  the 
majority  ;  for  visible  and  strong  emotions  were  the  occa- 
sional, and  not  the  constant,  results.  At  some  seasons 
indeed  effects  were  produced  which,  on  Christian  princi- 
ples, we  may  hesitate  not  to  say,  can  only  be  accounted  for 
on  the  assumption  that  the  influence  was  both  Divine  and 
special :  at  others,  the  impression  was  great,  but  yet  w  e 
need  assume  nothing  more  than  the  ordinary  blessing  of 
God  which  accompanies  "  the  word  of  his  grace,"  when 
dehvered  in  the  fulness  of  faith  and  love,  in  order  to  ac 
count  for  it.  But  beside  those  who  were  silently  pierced, 
and  whose  minds  were  sufficiently  strong  to  command 
their  emotions,  there  were  often  many  of  a  class  not  ac- 
customed to  put  such  restraints  upon  themselves.  To  a 
powerful  feeling  they  offered  but  a  slight  resistance,  and 
it  became  visible.  To  many  people,  then,  as  now,  this 
would  appear  extravagant ;  but  on  what  principle  can  the 
genuineness  of  the  impression  be  questioned  ?  Only  if  no 
subsequent  fruit  appeared.  For  if  a  true  conversion  fol- 
lowed, then,  if  there  be  tnith  in  rehgiin  itself,  the  "  finger 
of  God"  must  be  acknowledged. 

We  have  hitherto  seen  Mr.  Wesley  and  Mr.  Whitefield 
labouring  together  in  harmony,  and  uniting  in  a  common 
8* 


90 


LIFE  OF  THE 


design  to  promote  the  revival  of  Scriptural  Christianity 
through  the  land.  But  Mr.  Wesley  about  this  time  being 
impressed  with  the  strong  tendency  of  the  Calvinistic  doc- 
trines  to  produce  Antinomianism,  published  a  sermon 
against  absolute  predestination,  at  which  Mr.  Whitefield, 
who  some  time  previously  had  embraced  that  notion,  took 
offence.  A  controversy  between  them,  embracing  some 
other  points,  ensued,  which  issued  in  a  temporary  estrange- 
ment ;  and  they  laboured  from  this  time  independently  of 
each  other ;  their  societies  in  London,  Kingswood,  and 
other  places,  being  kept  quite  separate. 

A  reconciUation  however  took  place  between  Mr.  Wes- 
ley and  Mr.  Whitefield  in  January,  1750,  so  that  they 
preached  in  each  other's  chapels.  The  following  entry  on 
this  subject  appears  in  his  journal: — "Friday  19th.  In 
the  evening  I  read  prayers  at  the  chapel  in  West-street, 
and  Mr.  Whitefield  preached  a  plain,  affectionate  dis- 
course. Sunday  21.  He  read  prayers,  and  I  preached. 
Sunday  28.  I  read  prayers,  and  Mr.  Whitefield  preached. 
How  wise  is  God,  in  giving  different  talents  to  different 
preachers  !  So  by  the  blessing  of  God,  one  more  stumbling 
block  is  removed."  (^Journal.) 

The  following  extract  from  Mr.  Whitefield's  will  is  a 
pleasing  instance  of  generous,  truly  Christian  feeling : — 
"  I  leave  a  mourning  ring  to  my  honoured  and  dear  friends, 
and  disinterested  fellow  labourers,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  John 
and  Charles  Wesley,  in  token  of  my  indissoluble  union 
with  them  in  heart  and  Christian  affection,  notwithstand- 
ing our  difference  in  judgment  about  some  particular 
points  of  doctrine."  {Journal.) 

Mr.  Wesley,  at  Mr.  Whitefield's  own  desire,  preached 
his  funeral  sermon  at  the  Tabernacle,  Moorfields. 

Several  preachers  were  now  employed  by  Mr.  Wesley 
to  assist  in  the  growing  work,  which  already  had  swelled 
beyond  even  his  and  his  brother's  active  powers  suitably 
to  supply  with  the  ministration  of  the  word  of  God.  Mr. 
Charles  Wesley  had  discouraged  this  from  the  beginning, 
and  even  he  himself  hesitated ;  but  with  John,  the  promo- 
tion of  religion  wa»  the  first  concern,  and  church  order 
the  second,  although  inferior  in  consideration  to  that  only. 
With  Charles,  these  views  were  often  reversed.  Mr.  Wea- 
ley,  in  the  year  1741,  had  to  caution  his  brother  againe* 


REV.  JOHN  WESIBT. 


91 


joining  the  Moravians,  after  the  example  of  Mr.  Gambold, 
to  which  he  was  at  that  time  inclined ;  and  adds,  "  I  am 
not  clear,  that  brother  Maxfield  should  not  expound  at 
Greyhound-lane  ;  nor  can  I  as  yet  do  without  him.  Our 
clergjmen  have  increased  full  as  much  as  the  preachers." 
Mr.  Maxfield's  preaching  had  the  strong  sanction  of  the 
countess  of  Huntingdon  ;  but  so  little  of  design,  with 
reference  to  the  forming  of  a  sect,  had  Mr.  Wesley,  in  the 
employment  of  Mr.  Maxfield,  that,  in  his  ow  n  absence 
from  London,  he  had  only  authorized  him  to  pray  with  the 
society,  and  to  advise  them  as  might  be  needful ;  and 
upon  his  beginning  to  preach,  he  hastened  back  to  silence 
him.  On  this  his  mother  addressed  him,  "  John,  you 
know  what  my  sentiments  have  been.  You  cannot  sus- 
pect me  of  favouring  readily  any  thing  of  this  kind.  But 
take  care  w'hat  you  do  with  respect  to  that  young  man, 
for  he  is  as  surely  called  of  God  to  preach,  as  you  are. 
Examine  what  have  been  the  fruits  of  his  preaching,  and 
hear  him  also  yourself."  He  took  this  advice,  and  could 
not  venture  to  forbid  him. 

His  defence  of  himself  on  this  point  we  may  pronounce 
irrefutable,  and  turns  upon  the  disappointment  of  his 
hopes,  that  the  parochial  clergy  would  take  the  charge  of 
those  who  in  different  places  had  been  turned  to  God  by 
his  ministry,  and  that  of  his  fellow  labourers. 

"  It  pleased  God,"  says  Mr.  Wesley,  "  by  two  or  three 
ministers  of  the  Church  of  England,  to  call  many  sinners 
to  repentance,  who,  in  several  parts,  were  undeniably 
turned  from  a  course  of  sin  to  a  course  of  holiness. 

"  The  ministers  of  the  places  w  here  this  was  done  ought 
to  have  received  those  ministers  with  open  arms ;  and  to 
have  taken  those  persons  who  had  just  begun  to  serve  God, 
into  their  particular  care ;  watching  over  them  in  tender 
love,  lest  they  should  fall  back  into  the  snare  of  the  devil. 

"  Instead  of  this,  the  greater  part  spoke  of  those  minis- 
ters, as  if  the  devil,  not  God,  had  sent  them.  Some  repel- 
led them  from  the  Lord's  table ;  others  stirred  up  the  peo- 
pie  against  them,  representing  them  even  in  their  public 
discourses,  as  fellows  not  fit  to  live ;  papists,  heretics, 
traitors ;  conspirators  against  their  king  and  country. 

"  And  how  did  they  watch  over  the  sinners  lately  re- 
formed  ?  Even  as  a  leopard  watcheth  over  his  prey.  They 


92 


UFB  OF  THE 


drove  some  of  them  from  the  Lord's  table ;  to  which,  till 
now,  they  had  no  desire  to  approach.  They  preached  all 
manner  of  evil  concerning  them,  openly  cursing  them  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord.  They  tmnod  many  out  of  their 
work,  persuaded  others  to  do  so  too,  and  harassed  them 
in  all  manner  of  ways. 

"  The  event  was,  that  some  were  wearied  out,  and  so 
turned  back  to  the  vomit  again ;  and  then  these  good 
pastors  gloried  over  them,  and  endeavoured  to  shake  others 
by  their  example. 

"  When  the  ministers  by  whom  God  had  helped  them 
before,  came  again  to  those  places,  great  part  of  their 
work  was  to  begin  again,  if  it  could  be  begun  again  ;  but 
the  relapsers  were  often  so  hardened  in  sin,  that  no  im- 
pression could  be  made  upon  them. 

"  What  could  they  do  in  a  case  of  so  extreme  necessity, 
where  so  many  souls  lay  at  stake  ? 

"  No  clergyman  would  assist  at  all.  The  expedient 
that  remained  was,  to  find  some  one  among  themselves 
who  was  upright  of  heart,  and  of  sound  judgment  in  the 
things  of  God  ;  and  to  desire  him  to  meet  the  rest  as  often 
as  he  could,  in  order  to  confirm  them,  as  he  was  able,  in 
the  ways  of  God,  either  by  reading  to  them,  or  by  prayer, 
or  by  exhortation." 

This  statement  may  indeed  be  considered  as  affording 
the  key  to  all  that  which,  with  respect  to  Church  order, 
may  be  called  irregularity  in  Mr.  Wesley's  future  proceed- 
ings. God  had  given  him  large  fruits  of  his  ministry  in 
various  places;  when  he  was  absent  from  them,  the  peo- 
ple were  "  as  sheep  having  no  shepherd,"  or  were  rather 
persecuted  by  their  natural  pastors,  the  clergy ;  he  was 
reduced  therefore  to  the  necessity  of  leaving  them  without 
religious  care,  or  of  providing  it  for  them.  He  wisely  chose 
the  latter;  but  true  to  his  own  principles,  and  even  preju- 
dices, he  carried  this  no  farther  than  the  necessity  of  the 
case  :  the  hours  of  service  were  in  no  instance  to  interfere 
with  those  of  the  Establishment,  and  at  the  parish  church 
the  members  were  exhorted  to  communicate.  Thus  a 
reUgious  society  was  raised  up  within  the  national  Church 
and  with  this  anomaly,  that  as  to  all  its  interior  arrange- 
ments, as  a  society,  it  was  independent  of  its  ecclesiasti- 
cal authority.  The  irregularity  was,  in  principle,  as  great 


REV.  JOHN  WESLET. 


•when  the  first  step  was  taken  as  at  any  future  time.  It  was 
a  form  of  practical  and  partial  separation,  though  not  of 
theoretical  dissent ;  but  it  arose  out  of  a  moral  necessity, 
and  existed  for  some  years  in  such  a  state,  that,  had  the 
clergy  been  disposed  to  co-operate  in  this  evident  revival 
and  spread  of  true  religion,  and  had  the  heads  of  the 
Church  been  willing  to  sanction  itinerant  labours  among 
its  ministers,  and  private  religious  meetings  among  the 
serious  part  of  the  people  for  mutual  edification,  the  great 
body  of  Methodists  might  have  been  retained  in  commu- 
nion with  the  Church  of  England. 

On  this  matter,  which  was  often  brought  before  the  lead- 
ing and  influential  clergy,  they  made  their  own  election. 
They  refused  to  co-operate ;  they  doubtless  thought  that  they 
acted  right ;  and,  excepting  the  obloquy  and  persecution 
with  which  they  followed  an  innocent  and  pious  people, 
they  perhaps  did  so ;  for  a  great  innovation  would  have 
been  made  upon  the  discipline  of  the  Church,  for  which, 
at  that  time  at  least,  it  was  little  prepared.  But  the  clergy, 
having  made  their  election,  have  no  right,  as  some  of 
them  continue  to  do,  to  censure  either  the  founders  of 
Methodism  or  their  people  for  making  more  ample  provi- 
sion for  their  spiritual  wants.  It  was  imperative  upon  the 
former  to  provide  that  pastoral  care  for  the  souls  brought 
to  God  by  their  labours,  which  the  Church  ^ould  not  or 
would  not  afford ;  and  the  people  had  a  Christian  liberty 
to  follow  that  course  which  they  seriously  believed  most 
conducive  to  their  own  edification,  as  well  as  a  liberty  by 
the  very  laws  of  their  country.  The  violent  clerical 
writers  against  Methodism  have  usually  forgotten,  that  no 
man  in  England  is  bound  to  the  national  Church  by  any 
thing  but  moral  influence ;  and  that  from  every  other  tie 
he  is  set  free  by  the  laws  which  recognize  and  protect  reli- 
gious liberty.  Mr.  Wesley  resisted  all  attempts  at  formal 
separation,  still  hoping  that  a  more  friendly  spirit  would 
spring  up  among  the  clergy ;  and  he  even  pressed  hard 
upon  the  consciences  of  his  people  to  effect  their  uniform 
and  constant  attendance  at  their  parish  churches,  and  at 
the  sacrament ;  but  he  could  not  long  and  generally  suc- 
ceed. Where  the  clergyman  of  a  parish  was  moral  or 
pious  there  was  no  difficulty  ;  but  cases  of  conscience  were 
continually  arising  among  his  societies,  as  to  the  lawful- 


UFB  OF  THE 


ness  of  attending  the  ministry  of  the  irreUgious  and  pro- 
fane  clergymen,  who  were  then  and  long  afterward  found 
throughout  the  land ;  and  as  to  hearing,  and  training  up 
children  to  hear,  false  and  misleading  doctrines.  Pelagian, 
Antinomian,  or  such  as  were  directed  in  some  form  against 
the  religion  of  the  heart  as  taught  in  the  Scriptures,  and 
in  the  services  of  the  national  Church.  These  cases  ex- 
ceedingly perplexed  Mr.  Wesley ;  and  though  he  relaxed 
his  strictness  in  some  instances,  yet  as  he  did  not  sufficient- 
ly yield  to  meet  the  whole  case,  and  perhaps  could  not  do 
it  without  adopting  such  an  ecclesiastical  organization  of 
his  societies  as  would  have  contradicted  the  principles  to 
which,  as  to  their  relation  to  the  Church,  he  had,  perhaps, 
overhastily  and  peremptorily  committed  himself ;  the  effect 
was,  that  long  before  his  death,  the  attendance  of  the  Me- 
thodists at  such  parish  churches  as  had  not  pious  ministers 
was  exceedingly  scanty  ;  and  as  they  were  not  permitted 
pubUc  worship  among  themselves  in  the  hours  of  Church 
service,  a  great  part  of  the  Sabbath  was  lost  to  them,  except 
as  they  employed  it  in  family  and  private  exercises.  So 
also  as  to  the  Lord's  Supper;  as  it  was  not  then  adminis- 
tered by  their  own  preachers,  it  fell  into  great  and  painful 
neglect.  To  meet  the  case  in  part,  the  two  brothers,  and 
a  few  clergymen  who  joined  them,  had  public  service  in 
Church  hours,  in  the  chapels  in  London  and  some  other 
places,  and  %dministered  the  Lord's  Supper  to  numerous 
communicants  ;  a  measure,  which,  like  other  inconsisten- 
cies of  a  similar  kind,  grew  out  of  a  sense  of  duty,  warring 
with,  and  restrained  by,  strong  prepossessions,  and  the 
veiy  sincere  but  very  unfounded  hope  just  mentioned,  that 
a  more  friendly  spirit  would  be  awakened  among  the  clergy, 
and  that  all  the  sheep  gathered  out  of  the  wilderness  would 
at  length  be  kindly  welcomed  into  the  national  fold.  As 
ecclesiastical  irregularities,  these  measures  stood,  how- 
ever, precisely  on  the  same  principle  as  those  subsequent 
changes  which  have  rendered  the  body  of  Methodists  still 
more  distinct  and  separate ;  a  subject  to  which  reference 
will  again  be  made.  The  warmest  advocates  of  Church 
Methodism  among  ourselves  were  never  consistent  Church- 
men ;  and  the  Church  writers,  who  have  set  up  the  exam- 
ple of  Mr.  Wesley  against  his  more  modern  followers,  have 
been  wholly  ignorant  or  unmindful  of  his  history.  Dr. 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


05 


Southey,  and  others  who  have  fancied  a  plan  of  separation 
in  Mr.  Wesley's  mind  from  the  beginning,  though  followed 
cautiously  and  with  policy  "  step  by  step,"  have  shown  a 
better  acquaintance  with  the  facts  of  the  progress  of  Me- 
thodism ;  though  they  have  been  most  unjust  to  the  pure 
and  undesigning  mind  of  its  founder ;  who  walked  "  step 
by  step,"  it  is  true,  but  only  as  Providence  by  an  arrange- 
ment of  circumstances  seemed  to  lead  the  way  ;  and  would 
make  no  change  but  as  a  necessity,  arising  from  conscien- 
tious views  of  the  prosperity  of  a  spiritual  work,  appeared 
to  dictate.  Had  he  looked  forward  to  the  forming  of  a 
distinct  sect,  as  an  honour,  he  would  have  attempted  to 
enjoy  it  in  its  fulness  during  his  Hfe ;  and  had  he  been  so 
skilful  a  designer  as  some  have  represented  him,  he  would 
not  have  left  a  large  body  unprovided  for,  in  many  respects 
essential  to  its  prosperity  and  permanence,  at  his  death. 
He  left  his  work  unfinished,  and  knew  that  he  should  leave 
it  in  that  state  ;  but  he  threw  the  final  results,  in  the  spirit 
of  a  strong  faith,  upon  the  care  of  Him  whose  hands  he  had 
seen  in  it  from  the  beginning. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

We  have  now  to  follow  these  apostolic  men  into  still 
more  extended  fields  of  labour,  and  to  contests  more  for- 
midable. They  had  sustained  many  attacks  from  the  press ; 
and  some  frowns  from  the  authorities  of  the  Church.  By 
mobs  they  had  occasionally  been  insulted  both  in  England 
and  Wales.  But  in  London,  some  riotous  proceedings, 
of  a  somewhat  violent  character,  noAV  occurred  at  their 
places  of  worship.  With  respect  to  these,  the  following 
anecdote  is  curious,  as  it  shows  that  Mr.  Wesley's  zeal 
was  regarded  with  favour  in  a  high  quarter  :  "  On  the  last 
day  of  1742,  Sir  John  Ganson  called  upon  Mr.  Wesley, 
and  said,  '  Sir,  you  have  no  need  to  suffer  these  riotous 
mobs  to  molest  you,  as  they  have  done  long.  I  and  all 
the  other  Middlesex  magistrates  have  orders  from  above 
to  do  you  justice  whenever  you  apply  to  us.'  Two  or 
three  weeks  after  they  did  apply.  Justice  was  done,  though 
not  with  rigour ;  and  from  that  time  the  Methodists  had 
peace  in  London."  (Whitehead's  Life.) 


96 


MPE  OF  THE 


In  the  discipline  of  Methodism,  the  division  of  the  soci 
ety  into  classes  is  an  important  branch.  Each  class  is 
placed  under  a  person  of  experience  and  piety,  who  meets 
the  others  once  a  week,  for  prayer,  and  inquiry  into  the 
religious  state  of  each,  in  order  to  administer  exhortation 
and  counsel.  The  origin  of  these  classes  was,  however, 
purely  accidental.  The  chapel  at  Bristol  was  in  debt ; 
and  it  was  agreed  that  each  member  of  the  society  should 
contribute  one  penny  a  week  to  reduce  the  burden.  The 
Bristol  society  was  therefore  divided  into  classes ;  and 
for  convenience,  one  person  was  appointed  to  collect  the 
weekly  subscriptions  from  each  class,  and  to  pay  the 
amount  to  the  stewards.  The  advantage  of  this  system, 
when  turned  to  a  higher  purpose,  at  once  stmck  the 
methodical  and  practical  mind  of  Mr.  Wesley  :  he  there- 
fore  invited  several  "  earnest  and  sensible  men"  to  meet 
him ;  and  the  society  in  London  was  divided  into  classes 
like  that  of  Bristol,  and  placed  under  the  spiritual  care  of 
these  tried  and  experienced  persons.  At  first  they  visited 
each  person,  at  his  own  residence  once  a  week  ;  but  the 
preferable  mode  of  bringing  each  class  together  weekly 
was  at  length  adopted.  These  meetings  are  not,  as  some 
have  supposed,  inquisitorial ;  but  their  business  is  confined 
to  statements  of  religious  experience,  and  the  administra- 
tion  of  friendly  and  pious  counsel.  Mutual  acquaintance 
with  each  other  is  thus  formed;  the  leader  is  the  friend 
and  adviser  of  all ;  and  among  the  members,  by  their  pray, 
ing  so  often  with  and  for  each  other,  the  true  "  fellowship 
of  saints"  is  promoted.  Opportunities  are  also  thus  afford- 
ed for  ascertaining  the  wants  of  the  poorer  members,  and 
obtaining  relief  for  them ;  and  for  visiting  the  sick  :  the 
duty  of  a  leader  being  to  see  his  members  once  in  the 
week,  either  at  the  meeting,  or,  if  absent  from  that,  at 
home.  Upon  this  institution  Mr.  Wesley  remarks,  "  Upon 
reflection,  I  could  not  but  observe,  this  is  the  very  thing 
which  was  from  the  beginning  of  Christianitj'.  In  the 
earhest  times,  those  whom  God  had  sent  forth  '  preach- 
ed the  Gospel  to  eveiy  creature.'  The  body  of  hearers 
were  mostly  either  Jews  or  heathens.  But  as  soon  as 
any  of  these  were  so  convinced  of  the  truth  as  to  forsake 
sin,  and  seek  the  Gospel  of  salvation,  they  immediately 
joined  them  together,  took  an  account  of  their  names, 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


97 


advised  them  to  watch  over  each  other  and  met  these 
xarr;;(i,a=voi,  catechumens,  as  they  were  then  called,  apart 
from\he  great  congregation,  that  they  might  instruct, 
rebuke,  exhort,  and  pray  with  them,  and  for  them,  accord- 
ing to  their  several  necessities."  {Journal.) 

A  current  charge  against  Mr.  Wesley,  about  this  time, 
was,  that  he  was  a  papist ;  and  from  the  frequent  refer- 
ences to  it  in  his  journal,  although  it  was  treated  by  him 
with  characteristic  sprightliness,  it  appears  to  have  been 
the  occasion  of  much  popular  odium,  arising  from  the  fears 
entertained  by  the  nation  of  the  movements  of  the  Pre- 
tender.  In  his  journal,  March,  1741,  he  says,  "  Calling 
on  a  person  near  Grosvenor  Square,  I  found  there  was 
but  too  much  reason  here  for  crying  out  of  the  increase  of 
popery,  many  converts  to  it  being  continually  made  by  the 
gentleman  who  preaches  in  Swallow-street  three  days  in 
everj'  week.  Now,  why  do  not  the  champions,  who  are 
continually  crying  out,  '  Popeiy,  popery,'  in  Moorfields, 
come  hither,  that  they  may  not  always  be  fighting  '  as  one 
that  beateth  the  air  V  Plainly,  because  they  have  no 
mind  to  fight  at  all,  but  to  show  their  valour  without  an 
opponent.  And  they  well  know,  they  may  defy  popeiy  at 
the  Foundeiy  without  any  danger  of  contradiction."  And 
some  time  afterward,  he  remained  in  London,  from  whence 
all  papists  had  been  ordered  by  proclamation  to  depart,  a 
week  longer  than  he  intended,  that  he  might  not  seem  to 
plead  guilty  to  the  charge.  The  notion  that  the  Method- 
ists were  papists  was  also,  in  those  times,  the  occasion  of 
their  being  persecuted  in  several  places  in  the  country. 

Mr.  Wesley  now  extended  his  labours  northward.  He 
first  accepted  an  invitation  into  Leicestershire,  and  has 
the  following  amusing  anecdote  in  his  journal :  "  I  stop- 
ped a  little  at  Newport  Pagnell,  and  then  rode  on  till  I 
overtook  a  serious  man,  with  whom  I  immediately  fell  into 
conversation.  He  presently  gave  me  to  know  what  his 
opinions  were ;  therefore  I  said  nothing  to  contradict  them. 
But  that  did  not  content  him ;  he  was  quite  uneasy  to 
know  whether  I  held  the  doctrine  of  the  decrees  as  he  did. 
But  I  told  him,  over  and  over,  we  had  better  keep  to  prac- 
tical things,  lest  we  should  be  angry  at  one  another  ;  and 
so  we  did  for  two  miles,  till  he  caught  me  unawares,  and 
dragged  me  into  the  dispute  before  I  knew  where  I  was. 
9 


98 


LIFE  OF  THE 


He  then  grew  warmer  and  warmer ; — told  me  I  was  rotten 
at  heart,  and  supposed  I  was  one  of  John  Wesley's  fol- 
lowers. I  told  him,  '  No  !  I  am  John  Wesley  himself!" 
Upon  which  he  appeared, 

Improoisum  aspris  veluti  qui  sentihus  anguem 

Pressit  

'  as  one  who  had  unawares  trodden  on  a  snake,'  and  would 
gladly  have  run  away  outright.  But  being  the  better 
mounted  of  the  two,  I  kept  close  to  his  side,  and  endea- 
voured to  show  him  his  heart  till  we  came  into  the  street 
of  Northampton."  In  this  journey  he  vi^ted  Yorkshire. 
At  Birstal  and  the  neighbourhood  many  persons  had  been 
awakened  to  a  serious  concern  by  the  conversation  and 
preaching  of  honest  John  Nelson,  who  had  himself  been 
brought  to  the  knowledge  of  God  in  London,  by  attending 
the  service  at  the  Foundery,  and  had  returned  to  his  friends 
in  Yorkshire,  chiefly  moved  by  a  strong  desire  to  promote 
their  salvation.  The  natural  genius  of  this  excellent 
man,  who  afterward  suffered  much  persecution,  and  was 
barbarously  treated  by  the  magistrates  and  clergy,  was 
admirably  acute,  and  gave  to  his  repartees  a  surprising 
power  and  convincingness.  He  greatly  excelled  in  con- 
versation on  reUgious  subjects;  and  his  journal  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  pieces  of  biography  published  among 
the  Methodists.  When  Mr.  Wesley  reached  Birstal,  he 
found  that  he  had  been  the  instrument  of  very  extensive 
good,  so  that  the  moral  aspect  of  the  town  had  been 
changed.  After  preaching  to  a  large  congregation  on 
Birstal  Hill,  and  on  the  side  of  Dewsbury  Moor,  and  en- 
couraging  Mr.  Nelson  in  his  endeavours  to  do  good,  Mr. 
Wesley  proceeded  to  Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  hoping  to 
have  the  same  fruit  of  his  labours  among  the  colliers  of 
that  district  as  he  had  seen  among  those  of  Kingswood. 
So  true  was  this  lover  of  the  souls  of  men  to  his  own  ad- 
vice to  his  preachers,  "  Go  not  only  to  those  who  need 
you,  but  to  those  who  need  you  most." 

On  walking  through  the  town,  after  he  had  taken  some 
refreshment,  he  observes,  "  I  was  surprised ;  so  much 
drunkenness,  cursing,  and  swearing,  even  from  the  mouths 
of  little  children,  do  I  never  remember  to  have  seen  and 
heard  before  in  so  short  a  time,"  Sunday,  May  30th,  at 
seven  in  the  morning  he  walked  down  to  Sandgate,  the 


BKV.  JOHN  WBSXET 


90 


poorest  ana  most  contemptible  part  of  the  town,  and  stand. 

ing  at  the  end  of  the  street  v  ith  John  Taylor,  began  to 
sing  the  hundredth  psahn.  "  Three  or  four  people,"  says 
he,  "  came  out  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  who  soon  in- 
creased  to  four  or  five  hundred.  I  suppose  there  might  be 
tw  elve  or  fifteen  hundred  before  I  had  done  preaching,  to 
whom  I  applied  these  solemn  words,  '  He  was  wounded 
for  our  transgressions,  he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities ; 
the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  him,  and  by  his 
stripes  we  are  healed.'  " 

In  returning  southward,  he  preached  in  various  parts  of 
Yorkshire ;  and  visiting  Epworth,  where  a  small  society  of 
Methodists  had  been  collected,  and  finding  the  use  of  the 
church  denied  him,  he  stood  upon  his  father's  tomb,  and 
preached  to  a  numerous  congregation,  who,  as  well  as 
himself,  appear  to  have  been  deeply  impressed  with  the 
circumstance  of  the  son  speaking  to  them,  as  from  the 
ashes  of  his  father,  on  those  solemn  subjects  on  wliich  that 
venerable  parish  priest  had  faithfully  addressed  them  for  so 
many  years.  This  was  Sunday,  June  6,  1742,  and  on  the 
Wednesday  following,  he  humourously  relates,  "  I  rode 
over  to  a  neighbouring  town,  to  wait  upon  a  justice  of 
peace,  a  man  of  candour  and  understanding ;  before  whom, 
I  was  informed,  their  angry  neighbours  had  carried  a  whole 
waggon  load  of  these  new  heretics.  But  when  he  asked 
what  they  had  done,  there  was  a  deep  silence ;  for  that 
was  a  point  their  conductors  had  forgot.  At  length  one 
said,  '  Why,  they  pretend  to  be  better  than  other  people  ; 

and,  beside,  they  pray  from  morning  to  night.'  Mr.  S  

asked,  '  But  have  they  done  nothing  beside  ?'  '  Yes,  sir,' 
said  an  old  man,  '  An't  please  your  worship,  they  have 
convarled  my  wife.  Till  she  went  among  them,  she  had 
such  a  tongue ;  and  now  she  is  as  quiet  as  a  lamb.'  '  Carry 
them  back,  carry  them  back,'  replied  the  justice,  *  and  let 
them  convert  all  the  scolds  in  the  town.'  "  (Journal.) 

On  the  Sunday  following  he  also  pre?  ched  at  Epworth, 
and  remarks,  "  At  six  I  preached  for  the  last  time  in  Ep- 
worth church  yard  (being  to  leave  the  town  the  next  morn- 
ing)  to  a  vast  multitude  gathered  together  from  all  parts, 
on  the  beginning  of  our  Lord's  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  ^ 
continued  among  them  for  near  three  hours ;  and  yet  we 
scarce  knew  how  to  part.    O  let  none  think  his  labour  of 


100 


LIFE  OF  THE 


love  is  lost,  because  the  fruit  does  not  immediately  appear. 
Near  forty  years  did  my  father  labour  here ;  but  he  saw 
little  fruit  of  all  his  labour.  I  took  some  pains  among  this 
people  too  ;  and  my  strength  also  seemed  to  be  spent  in 
vain.  But  now  the  fruit  appeared.  There  were  scarce 
any  in  the  town,  on  whom  either  my  father  or  I  had  taken 
any  pains  formerly,  but  the  seed  sown  so  long  since  now 
sprung  up,  bringing  forth  repentance  and  remission  of 
sins."  (Journal.) 

The  following  remarks  on  a  sermon  he  heard  at  Pains, 
wick  occur  in  his  journal  about  this  time,  and  deserve 
notice  : — "  I  went  to  church  at  ten,  and  heard  a  remarkable 
discourse,  asserting,  '  that  we  are  justified  by  faith  alone  ; 
but  that  this  faith,  which  is  the  previous  condition  of  jus- 
tification,  is  the  complex  of  all  Christian  virtues,  including 
all  holiness  and  good  works  in  the  very  idea  of  it.' 

"  Alas !  How  little  is  the  difference  between  asserting, 
either,  I.  That  we  are  justified  by  works,  which  is  popery 
bare-faced ;  (and  indeed  so  gross  that  the  sober  papists, 
those  of  the  council  of  Trent  in  particular,  are  ashamed 
of  it;)  or,  2.  That  we  are  justified  by  faith  and  works, 
which  is  popery  refined  or  veiled  ;  (but  with  so  thin  a  veil, 
that  every  attentive  observer  must  discern  it  is  the  same 
still ;)  or,  3.  That  we  are  justified  by  faith  alone,  but  by 
such  a  faith  as  includes  all  good  works.*  What  a  poor 
shift  is  this, — '  I  will  not  say  we  are  justified  by  works, 
nor  yet  by  faith  and  works,  because  I  have  subscribed 
articles  and  homilies  which  maintain  just  the  contrary. 
No  ;  I  say,  we  are  justified  by  faith  alone.  But  then  by 
faith  I  mean  works  !'  " 

After  visiting  Bristol,  he  was  recalled  to  London,  to  at- 
tend the  last  moments  of  his  mother  : — "Friday,  July  30th, 
about  three  in  the  afternoon,  I  went  to  my  mother,  and 
found  her  change  was  near.  I  sat  down  on  the  bed  side. 
She  was  in  her  last  conflict,  unable  to  speak,  but,  I  believe, 
quite  sensible.  Her  look  was  calm  and  serene,  and  her 
eyes  fixed  upward,  while  we  commended  her  soul  to  God. 
From  three  to  four,  the  silver  cord  was  loosening,  and  the 
wheel  breaking  at  the  cistern  ;  and  then,  without  any 

*  Although  the  faith  which  justifies  does  not  include  good  works, 
>t  will,  when  it  has  justified  us,  produce  and  be  followed  by  good 
works,  because  it  brings  us  into  vital  union  with  Christ. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


101 


straggle,  or  sigh,  or  groan,  the  soul  was  set  at  liberty.  We 
stood  round  the  bed,  and  fulfilled  her  last  request,  uttered 
a  little  before  she  lost  her  speech,  'Children,  as  soon  as  I 
am  released,  sing  a  psalm  of  praise  to  God.' "  (Journal.) 

So  decided  a  witness  was  this  venerable  and  intellectual 
woman  of  the  assurance  of  faith ;  a  doctrine  she  had  learn- 
ed from  her  sons  more  clearly  to  understand.  To  their 
sound  views,  on  this  Scriptural  and  important  subject,  the 
latter  years  of  her  Ufe,  and  her  death,  gave  a  testimony 
which  to  them  must  have  been,  in  the  highest  degree, 
dehghtful  and  encouraging.  The  following  beautiful  epi 
taph,  written  by  her  son  Charles,  was  inscribed  on  her 
tomb-stone  in  Bunhill  Fields  : — 

'  In  sure  and  steadfast  hope  to  rise, 
And  claim  her  mansion  in  the  skies, 
A  Christian  here  her  flesh  laid  down. 
The  cross  exchanging  for  a  crown. 
True  daughter  of  affliction,  she, 
Inured  to  pain  and  misery, 
Mourn'd  a  long  night  of  griefs  and  fears, 
A  legal  night  of  seventy  years. 
The  Father  then  reveal'd  his  Son, 
Him  in  the  broken  bread  made  known  : 
She  knew  and  felt  her  sins  forgiven, 
And  found  the  earnest  of  her  heaven. 
Meet  for  the  fellowship  above, 
She  heard  the  call,  '  Arise,  my  love  !' 
'  I  come,'  her  dying  looks  replied, 
And  lamb-like,  as  her  Lord,  she  died." 

The  labours  of  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  had  been  very  ex- 
tended  and  arduous  during  the  early  pjxrt  of  the  year  1743, 
and,  by  the  Divine  blessing,  eminently  successful.  From 
the  M  est  of  England  he  proceeded  to  the  colliers  of  Staf- 
fordshire,  who  had  before  been  visited,  and  found  that  the 
society  at  Wcdnesbury  had  increased  to  more  than  three 
hundred,  of  whose  religious  state  he  speaks,  in  his  journal, 
with  strong  feelings  of  joy.  At  Walsall,  he  preached  on 
the  market-house  steps  : — 

"  The  street  was  full  of  fierce  Ephesian  beasts,  (the 
principal  man  setting  them  on,)  who  roared  and  shouted, 
and  threw  stones  incessantly.  At  the  conclusion  a  stream 
of  raffians  was  suffered  to  beat  me  down  from  the  steps  :  I 
rose,  and  having  given  the  blessing,  was  beat  down  again  ; 
9* 


102 


LIFE  OF  THE 


and  so  a  third  time.    When  we  had  returned  thanks  to  the 

God  of  our  salvation,  I  then  from  the  steps  bid  them  depart 
in  peace,  and  walked  through  the  thickest  of  the  rioters. 
They  reviled  us,  but  had  no  commission  to  touch  a  hair  of 
our  head." 

He  then  proceeded  to  Birmingham,  Nottingham,  and 
then  to  Sheffield.  Here  the  infant  society  was  as  a  "  flock 
among  wolves  ;  the  minister  having  so  stirred  up  the 
people,  that  they  were  ready  to  tear  the  Methodists  in 
pieces.  At  six  o'clock,  I  went  to  the  society  house,  next 
door  to  our  brother  Bennet's.  Hell  from  beneath  was 
moved  to  oppose  us.  As  soon  as  I  was  in  the  desk,  with 
David  Taylor,  the  floods  began  to  lift  up  their  voice.  An 
officer  in  the  army  contradicted  and  blasphemed.  I  took 
no  notice  of  him,  but  sung  on.  The  stones  flew  thick, 
striking  the  desk  and  the  people.  To  save  them,  and  the 
house  from  being  pulled  down,  I  gave  out,  that  I  should 
preach  in  the  street,  and  look  them  in  the  face.  The 
whole  army  of  the  aliens  followed  me.  The  captain  laid 
hold  on  me,  and  began  rioting :  I  gave  him  for  answer, 
'  A  Word  in  Season,  or  Advice  to  a  Soldier.'  I  then 
prayed,  particularly  for  his  majesty  King  George,  and 
'preached  the  Gospel  with  much  contention.'  The 
stones  often  struck  me  in  the  face.  I  prayed  for  sinners, 
as  servants  of  their  master,  the  devil ;  upon  which  the 
captain  ran  at  me  with  great  fury,  threatening  revenge  for 
abusing,  as  he  called  it, '  the  king,  his  master.'  He  forced 
his  way  through  the  brethren,  drew  his  sword,  and  pre- 
sented it  to  my  breast.  I  immediately  opened  my  breast, 
and  fixing  my  eye  on  his,  and  smiling  in  his  face,  calmly 
said,  '  I  fear  God,  and  honour  the  king.'  His  counte- 
nance fell  in  a  moment,  he  fetched  a  deep  sigh,  and  putting 
up  his  sword,  quietly  left  the  place.  He  had  said  to  one 
of  the  company  who  afterward  informed  me,  'You  shall 
see  if  I  do  but  hold  my  sword  to  his  breast,  he  will  faint 
away.'  So,  perhaps,  I  should  had  1  only  his  principles  to 
trust  to  ;  but  if  at  that  time  I  was  not  afraid,  no  thanks  to 
my  natural  courage.  We  returned  to  our  brother  Bennet's, 
and  gave  ourselves  up  to  prayer.  The  rioters  followed, 
and  exceeded  in  outrage  all  I  have  seen  before.  Those 
at  Moorfields,  Cardiff",  and  Walsall,  were  lambs  to  these. 
As  there  is  no  '  king  in  Israel,'  I  mean  no  magistrate  in 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


103 


Sheffield,  every  man  doeth  as  seemeth  good  in  his  own 
eyes."  The  mob  now  formed  the  design  of  pulling  down 
the  society  house,  and  set  upon  their  work,  while  Mr. 
Charles  Wesley  and  the  people  were  praying  and  praising 
God  within.  "  It  was  a  glorious  time,"  says  he,  "  witli 
us;  everj-  word  of  exhortation  sunk  deep,  every  prayer 
was  sealed,  and  many  found  the  Spiiit  of  glory  resting  upon 
them."  The  next  day  the  house  was  completely  pulled 
down,  not  one  stone  being  left  upon  another.  He  then 
preached  again  in  the  street,  somewhat  more  quietly  than 
before  ;  but  the  rioters  became  very  noisy  in  the  evening, 
and  threatened  to  pull  down  the  house  where  he  lodged. 
He  went  out  to  them  and  made  a  suitable  exhortation,  and 
they  saon  afterward  separated,  and  peace  was  restored. 

At  five  the  next  morning,  he  took  leave  of  the  society 
in  these  words,  "  Confirming  the  souls  of  the  disciples, 
and  exhorting  them  to  continue  in  the  faith,  and  tliat  we 
must  through  much  tribulation  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God."  He  observes,  "  Our  hearts  were  knit  together, 
and  greatly  comforted  :  we  rejoiced  in  hope  of  the  glorious 
appearing  of  the  great  God,  who  had  now  delivered  us 
out  of  the  mouth  of  the  lions.  David  Taylor  had  informed 
me,  that  the  people  of  Thorpe,  through  which  we  should 
pass,  wei'e  exceedingly  mad  against  us.  So  we  found 
them  as  we  approached  the  place,  and  were  turning  down 
the  lane  to  Barley  Hall.  The  ambush  rose,  and  assaulted 
us  with  stones,  eggs,  and  dirt.  My  horse  flew  from  side 
to  side,  till  he  found  his  way  through  them.  They  wound- 
ed David  Taylor  in  the  forehead,  and  the  wound  bled 
much.  I  turned  back,  and  asked,  what  was  the  reason, 
that  a  clergyman  could  not  pass  without  such  treatment. 
At  first  tlie  rioters  scattered,  but  their  captain  rallying 
them,  answered  with  horrible  imprecations  and  stones. 
My  horse  took  fright,  and  turned  away  with  mo  down  a 
steep  hill.  The  enemy  pursued  me  from  afar,  and  fol- 
lowed shouting.  Blessed  be  God,  I  received  no  hurt, 
only  from  the  eggs  and  dirt,  '  IMy  clothes  indeed  abhorred 
me,'  and  my  arm  pained  me  a  little  from  a  blow  I  received 
at  Sheffield,"  (Journal.) 

Such  was  tlie  calm  heroism  with  which  these  admirable 
men  prosecuted  their  early  labours ;  shrinking  from  no 
danger,  and  firmly  trusting  tiieir  lives  in  the  hands  of  God. 


104 


LIFE  OF  THE 


Proceeding  to  Leeds,  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  preached  "to 
thousands,"  before  Mr.  Shent's  door,  and  found  the  people 
"prepared  for  the  Lord."  The  clergy  of  Leeds  treated 
him  with  respect  and  deference,  and  obliged  hinn  to  assist 
at  the  sacrament :  such  indeed  was  their  kindness,  that 
he  began  to  fear  the  gleam  of  sunshine,  "more  than  the 
stones  at  Sheffield."  He  then  Avent  on  to  Newcastle, 
where  he  not  only  abounded  in  public  labours,  but,  as  the 
society  had  rapidly  increased,  he  instituted  a  strict  inves- 
tigation into  their  spiritual  state,  accurately  distinguishing 
between  animal  emotions,  and  the  true  work  of  God  in  the 
heart,  and  leading  all  to  try  themselves  by  the  only  infalli- 
ble rule,  their  conformity  to  the  word  of  God.  So  unjust 
are  the  insinuations,  that  the  founders  of  Methodism 
allowed  excited  affections  to  pass  as  admitted  proofs  of  a 
change  of  heart.  On  this  visit  to  Newcastle,  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley  remarks  in  his  journal,  that,  since  he  had  preached 
the  Gospel,  he  had  never  had  greater  success  than  at  this 
time  at  Newcastle.  Soon  after,  his  brother  laid  the 
foundation  of  a  place  for  the  public  worship  of  the  society, 
the  size  of  which  greatly  startled  some  of  the  people,  as 
they  doubted  whether  money  could  be  raised  to  finish  it. 
"  I  was  of  another  mind,"  he  observes,  "  nothing  doubting, 
but  as  it  was  begun  for  the  Lord's  sake,  he  would  provide 
what  was  needful  for  finishing  it."  Many  pecuniary  diffi- 
culties arose  in  the  completion  of  this  work :  but  he 
received  timely  supplies  of  money,  sometimes  from  very 
unexpected  quarters.  During  this  year  new  societies 
were  formed  in  the  western,  midland,  and  northern  coun- 
ties, whilst  those  before  collected  continued  greatly  to 
increase. 

In  the  latter  end  of  this  year,  1743,  Mr.  Wesley  appoint- 
ed in  London  visiters  of  the  sick,  as  a  distinct  office  in  his 
society.  He  says,  "  It  was  not  long  before  the  stewards 
found  a  great  difficulty  with  regard  to  the  sick.  Some 
were  ready  to  perish  before  they  knew  of  their  illness. 
And  Avhen  they  did  know,  it  was  not  in  their  power,  (being 
persons  generally  employed  in  trade,)  to  visit  them  so 
often  as  they  desired.  When  I  was  apprised  of  this,  I 
laid  the  case  at  large  before  the  whole  society  ;  showed 
how  impossible  it  was  for  the  stewards  to  attend  all  that 
were  sick  in  all  parts  of  the  town ;  desired  the  leaders  of 


REV.  JOHN  WESLET. 


105 


the  classes  would  more  carefully  inquire,  and  more  con- 
stantly inform  them,  who  were  sick ;  and  asked,  Who 
among  you  is  willing,  as  well  as  able,  to  supply  this  lack 
of  service? 

"  The  next  morning,  many  willingly  offered  themselves. 
I  chose  six  and  fortj-  of  them,  whom  I  judged  to  be  of  the 
most  tender,  loving  spirit,  divided  the  town  into  twenty- 
three  parts,  and  desired  two  of  them  to  visit  the  sick  in 
each  division. 

"  It  is  the  business  of  a  visiter  of  the  sick, 
«  1,  To  see  every  sick  person  within  his  district  thrice 
a  week.  2.  To  inquire  into  the  state  of  their  souls,  and 
advise  them  as  occasion  may  require.  3.  To  inquire  into 
their  disorders,  and  procure  advice  for  them.  4.  To 
relieve  them  if  they  are  in  want.  5.  To  do  any  thing  for 
them,  which  he  (or  she)  can  do.  6.  To  bring  in  his 
account  weekly  to  the  steward." — "  Upon  reflection,  I 
saw,  how  exactly  in  this  also  we  had  copied  after  the 
primitive  Church.  What  were  the  ancient  deacons  ? 
What  was  Phebe  the  deaconess,  but  such  a  visiter  of  the 
sick  ? 

"  I  did  not  think  it  needful  to  give  them  any  particular 
niles,  beside  those  that  follow  : — 

"1.  Be  plain  and  open  in  deaUng  with  souls.  2.  Be 
mild,  tender,  patient.  3.  Be  cleanly  in  all  you  do  for  the 
sick.    4.  Be  not  nice." 

The  same  year  was  remarkable  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Wes- 
ley, for  his  escape  from  one  of  the  most  dangerous  of  his 
encounters  with  deluded  and  infuriated  mobs.  It  was 
first  incited  by  a  sermon  preached  in  Wednesbury  church, 
by  the  clergyman.  "  I  never,"  says  Mr.  Wesley,  "  heard 
so  wicked  a  sermon,  and  delivered  with  such  bitterness  of 
voice  and  manner."  Whilst  Mr.  Wesley  was  at  Bristol, 
he  heard  of  the  effect  produced  by  this  charitable  address 
of  the  minister  to  his  parishioners,  who  was  assisted  in 
stirring  up  the  persecution  against  the  society,  as  was  very 
frequent  in  those  days,  by  the  neighbouring  magistrates, 
— full  of  what  they  called  Churchmanship  and  loyalty. 
At  Wednesbury,  Darlaston,  and  West  Bromwich,  the  mobs 
were  stimulated  to  abuse  the  Methodists  in  the  most  out- 
rageous  manner ;  even  women  and  children  were  beaten, 
stoned,  and  covered  with  mud ;  their  houses  broken  open, 


106 


LIFE  OF  THE 


and  their  goods  spoiled  or  carried  away,*  Mr.  Wesley 
hastened  to  comfort  and  advise  this  harassed  people  as 
soon  as  the  intelligence  reached  him,  and  preached  at 
noon  at  Wednesbury  without  molestation ;  but  in  the  after, 
noon  the  mob  surrounded  the  house.  The  result  will  best 
be  given  from  his  own  account,  which  displays  at  once 
his  own  admirable  presence  of  mind,  and  the  singular 
providence  of  God  : — 

"  I  was  writing  at  Francis  Ward's  in  the  afternoon, 
when  the  cry  arose  that  the  mob  had  beset  the  house. 
We  prayed  that  God  would  disperse  them  :  and  so  it  was  ; 
one  went  this  way  and  another  that,  so  that  in  half  an 
hour  not  a  man  was  left.  I  told  our  brethren.  Now  is  the 
time  to  go ;  but  they  pressed  me  exceedingly  to  stay. 
•So,  that  I  might  not  offend  them,  I  sat  down,  though  I 
foresaw  what  would  follow.  Before  five  the  mob  sur- 
rounded the  house  again,  and  in  greater  numbers  than 
ever.  The  cry  of  one  and  all  was,  '  Bring  out  the  minis- 
ter, we  will  have  the  minister.'  I  desired  one  to  take  the 
captain  by  the  hand  and  bring  him  into  the  house.  After 
a  few  sentences  interchanged  between  us,  the  lion  was 
become  a  lamb.  I  desired  him  to  go,  and  bring  one  or 
two  of  the  most  angry  of  his  companions.  He  brought 
in  two,  who  were  ready  to  swallow  the  ground  with  rage  ; 
but  in  two  minutes  they  were  as  calm  as  he.  I  then  bade 
them  make  way,  that  I  might  go  out  among  the  people. 
As  soon  as  I  was  in  the  midst  of  them,  I  called  for  a 
chair,  and  asked,  '  What  do  any  of  you  want  with  me  V 
Some  said,  '  We  want  you  to  go  with  us  to  the  justice.' 
I  replied,  '  That  I  will  with  all  my  heart.'  I  then  spoke 
a  few  words,  which  God  applied  ;  so  that  they  cried  out 
with  might  and  main,  '  The  gentleman  is  an  honest  gen- 
tleman, and  we  will  spill  our  blood  in  his  defence.'  I 
asked, '  Shall  we  go  to  the  justice  to-night,  or  in  the  morn- 
ing ?'  Most  of  them  cried,  '  To-night,  to-night  !'  on  which 
I  went  before,  and  two  or  three  hundred  followed,  the  rest 
returning  whence  they  came.  , 

"  The  night  came  on  before  we  had  walked  a  mile, 

*  The  descendants  of  some  of  these  persecuted  people  still  re- 
main, and  show,  one  a  cupboard,  another  some  other  piece  of  furni- 
ture,  the  only  article  saved  from  the  wreck,  and  preserved  with 
pious  care,  as  a  monument  of  the  sufferings  of  their  ancestOFB. 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEV. 


107 


together  with  heavy  rain.  However,  on  we  went  to  Bent- 
ley  Hall,  two  miles  from  Wednesbury.  One  or  two  ran 
before,  to  tell  Mr.  Lane  they  had  brought  Mr.  Wesley 
before  his  worship.  Mr.  Lane  replied,  '  What  have  I  to 
do  with  Mr.  Wesley  ?  Go  and  carry  him  back  again.'  By 
this  time  the  main  body  came  up,  and  began  knocking  at 
the  door.  A  servant  told  them  Mr.  Lane  was  in  bed. 
His  son  followed,  and  asked  what  was  the  matter.  One 
replied,  '  Why,  an't  please  you,  they  sing  psalms  all  day  ; 
nay,  and  make  folks  rise  at  five  in  the  morning  :  and 
M-hat  would  your  worship  advise  us  to  do  ?'  '  To  go  home.' 
said  Mr.  Lane,  '  and  be  quiet.' 

"  Here  they  were  at  a  full  stop,  till  one  advised  to  go 
to  Justice  Persehouse,  at  Walsal.  All  agreed  to  this  :  so 
we  hastened  on,  and  about  seven  came  to  his  house.  But 
Mr.  Persehouse  also  sent  word  tliat  he  was  in  bed.  Now 
they  were  at  a  stand  again :  but  at  last  they  all  thought 
it  the  wisest  course  to  make  the  best  of  their  way  home. 
About  fiftA"  of  them  undertook  to  convoy  me  ;  but  we  had 
not  gone  a  hundred  yards,  when  the  mob  of  Walsal  came 
pouring  in  like  a  flood,  and  bore  down  all  before  them. 
The  Darlaston  mob  made  what  defence  they  could ;  but 
they  were  weary,  as  well  as  outnumbered ;  so  that,  in  a 
short  time,  many  being  knocked  down,  the  rest  went  away, 
and  left  me  in  their  hands. 

"  To  attempt  speaking  was  vain ;  for  the  noise  on  every 
side  was  like  the  roaring  of  the  sea.  So  they  dragged  me 
along  till  Me  came  to  the  town,  where  seeing  the  door  of 
a  large  house  open,  I  attempted  to  go  in ;  but  a  man 
catching  me  by  the  hair,  pulled  me  back  into  the  middle 
of  the  mob.  They  made  no  more  stop  till  they  had  car- 
ried me  through  the  main  street,  from  one  end  of  the  town 
to  the  other.  I  continued  speaking  all  the  time  to  those 
within  hearing,  feeling  no  pain  or  weariness.  At  the 
west  end  of  the  toAvn,  seeing  a  door  half  open,  I  made 
toAvard  it,  and  would  have  gone  in ;  but  a  gentleman  in 
the  shop  would  not  sufTer  mc,  saying  they  would  pull  iho 
house  to  the  ground.  However,  I  stood  at  the  door  and 
asked,  '  Are  you  willing  to  hear  me  speak  ?'  Many  cried 
out,  '  No,  no  !  knock  his  brains  out ;  down  with  him  ; 
kill  him  at  once.'  Others  said,  '  Nay,  but  we  will  hear 
liim  first.'     I  began  asking,  '  What  evil  have  I  done  ? 


108 


LIFE  OP  THE 


Which  of  you  all  haVe  I  wronged  in  word  or  deed  V  and 
continued  speaking  for  above  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  till  my 
voice  suddenly  failed.  Then  the  floods  began  to  lift  up 
their  voice  again  ;  many  crying  out,  '  Bring  him  away  ! 
bring  him  away  !' 

"  In  the  meantime  my  strength  and  my  voice  returned, 
and  I  broke  out  aloud  into  prayer.  And  now  the  man, 
who  just  before  headed  the  mob,  turned  and  said,  '  Sir,  I 
will  spend  my  life  for  you  ;  follow  me,  and  not  one  soul 
here  shall  touch  a  hair  of  your  head.'  Two  or  three  of 
his  fellows  confirmed  his  words,  and  got  close  to  me 
immediately.  At  the  same  time  the  gentleman  in  the 
shop  cried  out,  '  For  shame,  for  shame ;  let  him  go.'  An 
honest  butcher,  who  was  a  little  farther  off,  said  it  was  a 
shame  they  should  do  thus ;  and  pulled  back  four  or  five, 
one  after  another,  who  were  running  on  the  most  fiercely. 
The  people  then,  as  if  it  had  been  by  common  consent, 
fell  back  to  the  right  and  left ;  while  those  three  or  four 
men  took  me  between  them,  and  carried  me  through  them 
all :  but  on  the  bridge  the  mob  rallied  again ;  we  there- 
fore went  on  one  side,  over  the  milldam,  and  (hence 
through  the  meadows ;  till,  a  little  before  ten,  God 
brought  me  safe  to  Wednesbury  ;  having  lost  only  one 
flap  of  my  waistcoat,  and  a  little  skin  from  one  of  my 
hands. 

"  From  the  beginning  to  the  end  I  found  the  same 
presence  of  mind  as  if  I  had  been  sitting  in  my  own 
study.  But  I  took  no  thought  for  one  moment  before 
another;  only  once  it  came  into  my  mind,  that  if  they 
should  throw  me  into  the  river,  it  would  spoil  the  papers 
that  were  in  my  pocket.  For  myself,  I  did  not  doubt  but 
I  should  swim  across,  having  but  a  thin  coat,  and  a  light 
pair  of  boots. 

"  The  circumstances  that  follow  I  thought  were  parti- 
cularly  remarkable  :  1.  That  many  endeavoured  to  throw 
me  down  Avhlle  we  were  going  down  hill,  on  a  slippery 
path,  to  the  town ;  as  well  judging,  that  if  I  was  once 
on  the  ground  I  should  hardly  rise  any  ^re.  But  I 
made  no  stumble  at  all,  nor  the  least  slip,  till  I  was 
«!ntirely  out  of  their  hands.  2.  That  although  many 
strove  to  lay  hold  on  my  collar  or  clothes  to  pull  me 
down,  they  could  not  fasten  at  all ;  only  one  got  fast  hold 


REV.  JOHN  WEStET. 


109 


of  the  flap  of  my  waistcoat,  which  was  soon  left  in  his 
hand.  3.  That  a  lusty  man  just  behind  struck  at  me 
several  times  with  a  large  oaken  stick ;  with  which  if  he 
had  struck  me  once  on  the  back  part  of  my  head,  it  would 
have  saved  him  all  farther  trouble :  but  every  time  the 
blow  was  turned  aside,  I  know  not  how.  4.  That  another 
came  rashing  through  the  press,  and  raising  his  arm  to 
strike,  on  a  sudden  let  it  drop,  and  only  stroked  my  head, 
saying,  '  What  soft  hair  he  has !'  5.  That  I  stopped 
exactly  at  the  mayor's  door,  as  if  I  had  known  it,  which 
the  mob  doubtless  thought  I  did,  and  found  him  standing 
in  the  shop ;  which  gave  the  first  check  to  the  madness 
of  the  people.  6.  That  the  very  first  men  whose  hearts 
were  turned,  were  the  heroes  of  the  town,  the  captains 
of  the  rabble  on  all  occasions ;  one  of  them  having  been 
a  prize  fighter  at  the  bear  gardens.  7.  That  from  first  to 
last  I  heard  none  give  a  reviling  word,  or  call  me  by  any 
opprobrious  name  whatever.  But  the  cry  of  one  and  all 
M  as,  '  The  preacher  !  the  preacher  !  the  parson !  the 
minister  !'  8.  That  no  creature,  at  least  within  my  hear- 
ing,  laid  any  thing  to  my  charge,  either  tme  or  false ; 
having  in  the  huiTy  quite  forgot  to  provide  themselves  with 
an  accusation  of  any  kind.  And,  lastly,  they  were  utterly 
at  a  loss  what  they  should  do  with  me ;  none  proposing 
any  determinate  thing,  only,  '  Away  Avith  him ;  kill  him 
at  once.' 

"  When  I  came  back  to  Francis  Ward's,  I  found  many 
of  our  brethren  waiting  upon  God.  Many  also  whom  I 
had  never  seen  before,  came  to  rejoice  with  us ;  and  the 
next  morning  as  I  rode  through  the  town,  in  my  way  to 
Nottingham,  every  one  I  met  expressed  such  a  cordial 
afl^ection,  that  I  could  scarce  believe  what  I  saw  and 
hoard." 

At  Nottingham  he  met  with  Mr.  Charles  Wesley,  who 
has  inserted  in  his  journal  a  notice  of  the  meeting,  highly 
characteristic  of  the  spirit  of  martyrdom  in  which  both  of 
them  lived : — 

'•  My  brdfcer  came,  deUvered  out  of  the  mouth  of  the 
lions !  His  clothes  were  torn  to  tatters  ;  he  looked  like  a 
soldier  of  Christ.  Tlie  mob  of  Wednesbur\-,  Darlaston,  and 
Walsal,  were  permitted  to  take  and  cany  him  about  for 
several  hours,  with  a  full  intent  to  murder  him  :  but  his 


110 


LIFE  OP  THE 


work  is  not  yet  finished,  or  he  had  been  now  with  the  souls 
under  the  altar."  Undaunted  by  the  usage  of  John, 
Charles  immediately  set  out  for  Wednesbury,  to  encourage 
the  societies. 

In  this  year  Mr.  Wesley  made  his  first  journey  into 
Cornwall,  where  his  brother,  led  by  the  same  sympathies 
to  communicate  the  Gospel  to  the  then  rude  and  neglected 
miners  of  that  extreme  part  of  the  kingdom,  as  had  induced 
him  to  visit  the  colliers  of  Kingswood,  Staffordshire,  and 
the  north,  had  preceded  him.  Here  he  had  preached  in 
various  places,  sometimes  amidst  mobs,  "  as  desperate  as 
that  at  Sheffield."  Mr.  Wesley  followed  in  August,  and 
came  to  St.  Ives,  where  he  found  a  small  religious  society, 
which  had  been  formed  upon  Dr.  Woodward's  plan.  They 
gladly  received  him,  and  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  Method, 
ist  societies  in  Cornwall,  which  from  this  time  rapidly 
increased.  In  this  visit  he  spent  three  weeks,  preaching 
in  the  most  populous  parts  of  the  mining  district,  with  an 
effect  which  still  continues  to  be  felt.  In  no  part  of  Eng- 
land has  Methodism  obtained  more  influence  than  in  the 
west  of  Cornwall.  It  has  become  in  fact  the  leading  pro- 
fession of  the  people,  and  its  moral  effects  upon  society 
may  be  looked  upon  with  the  highest  satisfaction  and 
gratitude.  Nor  were  the  Cornish  people  ungrateful  to  the 
instrument  of  the  benefit.  When  he  was  last  in  the  country, 
in  old  age,  the  man  who  had  formerly  slept  on  the  ground 
for  want  of  a  lodging,  and  picked  blackberries  to  satisfy 
his  hungei-,  and  who  had  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life 
from  a  desperate  mob  at  Falmouth,  passed  through  the 
towns  and  villages  as  in  a  triumphal  march,  whilst  the 
windows  were  crowded  with  people,  anxious  to  get  a  sight 
of  him,  and  to  pronounce  upon  him  their  benedictions. 

Between  this  visit  and  that  of  the  next  year,  a  hot  perse- 
cution, both  of  the  preachers  and  people,  broke  forth.  The 
preaching  house  at  St.  Ives  was  pulled  to  the  ground  :  one 
of  the  preachers  was  impressed  and  sent  for  a  soldier,  as 
were  several  of  ihe  people  :  whilst  being  stoned,  covered 
with  dirt,  and  abused,  was  the  treatment  whichihany  others 
of  them  met  with  from  day  to  day.  But  notwithstanding 
this,  they  who  had  been  eminent  for  hurling,  fighting, 
drinking,  and  all  manner  of  wickedness,  continued  eminent 
for  sobriety,  piety,  and  meekness.    The  impressment  of 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


Ill 


the  preachers  for  soldiers  by  the  magistrates  was  not,  how- 
ever,  confined  to  Cornwall.  About  the  same  time  John 
Nelson  and  Thomas  Beard  were  thus  seized,  and  sent  for 
soldiers,  for  no  other  crime,  either  committed  or  pretended, 
than  that  of  caUing  sinners  to  repentance.  The  passive 
heroism  of  John  Nelson  is  well  known.  Thomas  Beard 
also  was  "  nothing  terrified  by  his  adversaries  ;"  but  his 
body  after  a  while  sunk  under  affliction.  He  was  then 
lodged  in  the  hospital  of  Newcastle,  where  he  still  praised 
God  continually.  His  fever  increasing,  he  was  let  blood  : 
his  arm  festered,  mortified,  and  was  cut  oflf ;  two  or  three 
days  after  which,  God  signed  his  discharge,  and  called  him 
to  his  eternal  home. 

The  riots  in  Staffordshire,  also,  still  continued.  "  The 
mob  of  Walsal,  Darlaston,  and  Wednesbury,  hired  for  the 
purpose  by  their  superiors,  broke  open  their  poor  neigh- 
bours' houses  at  their  pleasure  by  day  and  by  night ; 
extorting  money  from  the  few  that  had  it,  taking  away  or 
destroying  their  victuals  and  goods,  beating  and  wounding 
their  bodies,  insulting  the  women,  and  openly  declaring 
they  Avould  destroy  every  Methodist  in  the  country.  Thus 
his  majesty's  peaceable  and  loyal  subjects  were  treated 
for  eight  months,  and  were  then  publicly  branded  in  the 
Whitehall  and  London  Evening  Post,  for  rioters  and 
incendiaries!"  (Whitehead's  Life.) 

Several  other  instances  of  the  brutal  maltreatment  of 
the  preachers  occurred  in  these  early  periods,  which  ended 
in  disablement,  or  premature  death.  The  persecution  at 
St.  Ives,  Mr.  Wesley  observes,  "was  owing  in  great 
measure  to  the  indefatigable  labours  of  Mr.  Hoblin,  and 
Mr.  Simmons,  gentlemen  worthy  to  be  had  in  everlasting 
remembrance  for  their  unwearied  endeavours  to  destroy 
heresy. 

Fortunati  amho  !  Siquid  mea  pagina  possit, 
Nulla  dies  unquam  memori  vos  eximet  mvo. 

"  Happy  both  !  Long  as  my  writings,  shall  your  fame 
remain." 

In  August^  1744,  Mr.  John  Wesley  preached  for  the 
last  time  before  the  university  of  Oxford.  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley  was  present,  and  observes  in  his  journal  :  "  My 
brother  bore  his  testimony  before  a  crowded  audience, 
much  increased  by  the  races.    Never  have  I  seen  a  more 


112 


LIFE  OP  THE 


attentive  congregation  ;  they  did  not  suffer  a  word  to 
escape  them.  Some  of  the  heads  of  colleges  stood  up  the 
whole  time,  and  fixed  their  eyes  upon  him.  If  they  can 
endure  sound  doctrine,  like  his,  he  will  surely  leave  a 
blessing  behind  him.  The  vice-chancellor  sent  after  him, 
and  desired  his  notes,  which  he  sealed  up  and  sent  imme- 
diately," 

His  own  remarks  upon  this  occasion  are,  "I  am  now 
clear  of  the  blood  of  those  men.  I  have  fully  delivered 
my  own  soul.  And  I  am  well  pleased  that  it  should  be 
1  he  very  day  on  which,  in  the  last  century,  near  two  thou- 
sand burning  and  shining  lights  were  put  out  at  one  stroke. 
Yet  what  a  wide  difference  is  there  between  their  case  and 
mine  !  They  were  turned  out  of  house  and  home,  and  all 
that  they  had  ;  whereas  I  am  only  hindered  from  preaching 
in  one  place,  without  any  other  loss,  and  that  in  a  kind  of 
honourable  manner ;  it  being  determined,  that,  when  my 
next  turn  to  preach  came,  they  would  pay  another  person 
to  preach  for  me.  And  so  they  did  twice  or  thrice,  even 
to  the  time  I  resigned  my  fellowship."  (Journal.) 

Mr.  Wesley  had  at  this  time  a  correspondence  with  the 
Rev.  James  Erskine,  from  whom  he  learned  that  several 
pious  ministers  and  others,  in  Scotland,  duly  appreciated 
his  character,  and  rejoiced  in  the  success  of  his  labours, 
notwithstanding  the  difference  of  their  sentiments.  Mr. 
Erskine's  letter  indeed  contains  a  paragraph  Avhich 
i)reathe3  a  liberality  not  very  common  in  those  days,  and 
wiiich  may  be  useful  in  the  present,  after  all  our  boast- 
in  ^[s  of  enlarged  charity  :  "  Are  the  points  which  give  the 
ilitferent  denominations,  (to  Christians,)  and  from  whence 
proceed  separate  communities,  animosities,  evil  speakings, 
surmises,  and,  at  least,  coolness  of  affection,  aptness  to 
misconstrue,  slowness  to  think  well  of  others,  stiffness  in 
one's  own  conceits,  and  overvaluing  one's  own  opinion, 
&C,  &;c  :  are  these  points  (at  least  among  the  far  greatest 
part  of  Protestants)  as  important,  as  clearly  revealed,  and 
i!3  essential,  or  as  closely  connected  with  the  essentials  of 
practical  Christianity,  as  the  loving  of  one  another  with  a 
pure  heart  fervently,  and  not  forsaking,  much  less  refus- 
ing, the  assembling  of  ourselves  together,  as  the  manner  of 
some  was,  and  now  of  almost  all  is?"  (Journal.) 

In  a  subsequent  letter  this  excellent  man  expresses  an 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLET. 


113 


ardent  wish  for  union  among  all  those  of  different  denomi- 
nations and  opinions  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and 
on  such  a  subject  he  was  speaking  to  a  kindred  mind ;  for 
no  man  ever  set  a  better  example  of  Christian  charity, 
and  nowhere  is  the  excellence  and  obligation  of  that  tem- 
per more  forcibly  drawn  and  inculcated  than  in  his  most 
interesting  sermon  on  "A  Catholic  Spirit."  With  such  a 
testimony  and  example  before  them,  his  followers  would 
be  the  most  inexcusable  class  of  Christians  were  they  to 
indulge  in  that  selfish  sectarianism  with  which  he  was  so 
often  unjustly  charged ;  and  for  which  they,  though  not 
faultless  in  this  respect,  have  also  been  censured  more 
frequently  and  indiscriminately  than  they  have  merited. 
It  would  scarcely  be  doing  justice  to  this  part  of  Mr. 
Wesley's  character  not  to  insert  an  extract  from  the  ser- 
mon alluded  to  : — 

"  Is  thy  heart  right  with  God  1  If  it  be,  give  me  thy 
hand.  I  do  not  mean,  '  Be  of  my  opinion.'  You  need 
not.  I  do  not  expect  or  desire  it.  Neither  do  I  mean,  'I 
will  be  of  your  opinion.'  I  cannot.  It  does  not  depend 
on  my  choice ;  I  can  no  more  think,  than  I  can  see  or 
hear,  as  I  will.  Keep  you  your  opinion  :  I  mine ;  and 
that  as  steadily  as  ever.  You  need  not  endeavour  to 
come  over  to  me,  or  bring  me  over  to  you.  I  do  not  de- 
sire you  to  dispute  those  points,  or  to  hear  or  speak  one 
word  concerning  them.  Let  all  opinions  alone  on  one 
side  and  the  other.    Only  'give  me  thine  hand.' 

"  I  do  not  mean,  '  Embrace  my  modes  of  worship  ;  or, 
I  will  embrace  yours.'  This  also  is  a  thing  which  does 
not  depend  either  on  your  choice  or  mine.  We  must  both 
act  as  each  is  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind.  Hold  you 
fast  that  which  you  believe  is  most  acceptable  to  God,  and 
I  w  ill  do  the  same.  I  believe  the  Episcopal  form  of  Church 
government  to  be  Scriptin-al  and  apostolical.  If  you  think 
the  Presbyterian  or  Independent  is  better,  think  so  still, 
and  act  accordingly.  I  believe  infants  ought  to  be  bap- 
tized, and  that  this  may  be  done  either  by  dipping  or 
sprinkling.  If  you  are  otherwise  persuaded,  be  so  still, 
and  follow  your  own  persuasion.  It  appears  to  me,  that 
forms  of  prayer  are  of  excellent  use,  particularly  in  the 
great  congregation.  If  you  judge  extemporary  prayer  to 
be  of  more  use,  act  suitable  to  your  own  judgment  My 
10* 


114 


LIFB  OF  THE 


sentiment  is,  that  I  ought  not  to  forbid  water,  wherein  per- 

sons  may  be  baptized  ;  and,  that  I  ought  to  eat  bread  and 
drink  wine,  as  memorials  of  my  dying  Master.  However, 
if  you  are  not  convinced  of  this,  act  according  to  the  Hght 
you  have.  I  have  no  desire  to  dispute  with  you  one  mo- 
ment upon  any  of  the  preceding  heads.  Let  all  these 
smaller  points  stand  aside.  Let  them  never  come  into 
sight.  '  If  thine  heart  be  as  my  heart,'  if  thou  love  God 
and  all  mankind,  I  ask  no  more  :  '  Give  me  thy  hand.' 

"  I  mean,  First,  love  me.  And  that  not  only  as  thou 
lovest  all  mankind ;  not  only  as  thou  lovest  thine  enemies, 
or  the  enemies  of  God,  those  that  hate  thee,  that  '  despite- 
fuUy  use  thee,  and  persecute  thee :'  not  only  as  a  stranger, 
as  one  of  whom  thou  knowest  neither  good  nor  evil.  I  am 
not  satisfied  with  this.  No ;  'If  thine  heart  be  right,  as 
mine  with  thy  heart,'  then  love  me  with  a  very  tender 
affection,  as  a  friend  that  is  closer  than  a  brother,  as  a 
brother  in  Christ,  a  fellow  citizen  of  the  New  Jerusalem, 
a  fellow  soldier  engaged  in  the  same  warfare,  under  the 
same  Captain  of  our  salvation.  Love  me  as  a  companion 
in  the  kingdom  and  patience  of  Jesus,  and  a  joint  heir  of 
his  glory. 

"  Love  me  (but  in  a  higher  degree  than  thou  dost  the 
bulk  of  mankind)  with  the  love  that  is  'long  suffering  and 
kind ;'  that  is  patient,  if  I  am  ignorant  or  out  of  the  way, 
bearing  and  not  increasing  my  burden  ;  and  is  tender,  soft, 
and  compassionate  still ;  that  'envieth  not,'  if  at  any  time 
it  please  God  to  prosper  me  in  this  work  even  more  than 
thee.  Love  me  Avith  the  love  that  '  is  not  provoked'  either 
at  my  follies  or  infirmities,  or  even  at  my  acting  (if  it 
should  sometimes  so  appear  to  thee)  not  according  to  the 
will  of  God.  Love  me  so  as  to  '  think  no  evil'  of  me,  to 
put  away  all  jealousy  and  evil  surmising.  Love  me  with 
the  love  that  '  covereth  all  things ;'  that  never  reveals 
cither  my  faults  or  infirmities,  that  '  believeth  all  things,'  is 
always  willing  to  think  the  best,  to  put  the  fairest  con- 
struction on  all  my  words  and  actions ;  that  '  hopeth  all 
things ;'  either  that  the  thing  related  was  never  done,  or 
not  done  with  such  circumstances  as  are  related ;  or  at 
least,  that  it  was  done  with  a  good  intention,  or  in  a  sud- 
den stress  of  temptation.  And  hope  to  the  end,  that  what- 
ever  is  amiss  will,  by  the  grace  of  God  be  corrected,  and 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLET. 


116 


whatever  is  wanting  supplied,  through  the  riches  of  his 
mercy  in  Christ  Jesus."  (Sermons.) 

And  then,  having  shown  how  a  cathoUc  spirit  differs 
from  practical  and  speculative  latitudinarianism  and  indif- 
ference, he  concludes :  "A  man  of  a  catholic  spirit  is  one 
who,  in  the  manner  above  mentioned,  'gives  his  hand'  to  all 
whose  'hearts  are  right  with  his  heart.'  One  who  knows 
how  to  value  and  praise  God  for  all  the  advantages  he  en- 
joys,  with  regard  to  the  knowledge  of  the  things  of  God, 
the  true  Scriptural  manner  of  worshipping  him ;  and  above 
all,  his  union  with  a  congregation  fearing  God  and  working 
righteousness.  One  who,  retaining  these  blessings  with 
the  strictest  care,  keeping  them  as  the  apple  of  his  eye,  at 
the  same  time  love ;  as  friends,  as  brethren  in  the  Lord,  as 
members  of  Christ  and  children  of  God,  as  joint  partakers 
now  of  the  present  kingdom  of  God,  and  fellow  heirs  of  his 
eternal  kingdom,  all,  of  whatever  opinion,  or  worship,  or 
congregation,  who  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who 
love  God  and  man,  who,  rejoicing  to  please  and  fearing  to 
offend  God,  are  careful  to  abstain  from  evil,  and  zealous  of 
good  works.  He  is  the  man  of  a  truly  catholic  spirit,  who 
bears  all  these  continually  upon  his  heart,  who,  having  an 
unspeakable  tenderness  for  their  persons,  and  longing  for 
their  welfare,  does  not  cease  to  commend  them  to  God  in 
prayer,  as  well  as  to  plead  their  cause  before  men ;  who 
speaks  comfortably  to  them,  and  labours  by  all  his  words 
to  strengthen  their  hands  in  God.  He  assists  them  to  the 
uttermost  of  his  power  in  all  things,  spiritual  and  temporal. 
He  is  ready  'to  spend  and  be  spent  for  them;'  yea,  'to 
lay  down  his  hfe  for  their  sake.'  "  (Sermons.) 

The  first  Conference  was  held  in  June,  1744.  The 
societies  had  spread  through  various  parts  of  the  kingdom ; 
and  a  number  of  preachers,  under  the  name  of  assistants 
and  helpers,  the  former  being  superintendents  of  the  latter, 
had  been  engaged  by  Mr.  Wesley  in  the  work.  Some 
clergymen,  also,  more  or  less  co-operated  to  promote  these 
attempts  to  spread  the  flame  of  true  religion,  and  were  not 
yet  afraid  of  the  cross.  These  circumstances  led  to  the  dis- 
tribution  of  different  parts  of  the  kingdom  into  circuits,  to 
which  certain  preachers  were  for  a  time  appointed,  and  were 
then  removed  to  others.  The  superintendence  of  the  whole 
was  in  the  two  brothers,  but  particularly  in  Mr.  John  Wes- 


116 


LIFE  OF  THE 


ley.  The  annual  conferences  afforded,  therefore,  an  admi 
rable  opportunity  of  conversing  on  important  points  and  dis- 
tinctions of  doctrine,  that  all  might  "speak  the  same  thing" 
in  their  public  ministrations ;  and  of  agi'eeing  upon  such  a 
discipline  as  the  new  circumstances  in  which  the  societies 
were  placed  might  require.  The  labours  of  the  preachers 
for  the  ensuing  year  were  also  arranged  ;  and  consultation 
was  held  on  all  matters  connected  with  the  promotion  of 
the  work  of  God,  in  which  they  were  engaged.  Every  thing 
Avent  on,  however,  not  on  preconceived  plan,  but  "  step  by 
step,"  as  circumstances  suggested,  and  led  the  way.  To 
the  great  principle  of  doing  good  to  the  souls  of  men, 
every  thing  was  subordinated ;  not  excepting  even  their 
prejudices  and  fears,  as  will  appear  from  the  minutes  of 
the  first  conference,  which  was  held  in  London,  as  just 
stated,  in  1744.  The  ultimate  separation  of  the  societies 
from  the  Church,  after  the  death  of  the  first  agents  in  the 
work,  was  at  that  early  period  contemplated  as  a  possibil 
ity,  and  made  a  subject  of  conversation ;  and  the  resolu 
tion  was,  "  We  do  and  will  do  all  we  can  to  prevent  those 
consequences  which  are  supposed  to  be  hkely  to  happen 
after  our  death ;  but  we  cannot,  in  good  conscience,  ne- 
glect the  present  opportunity  of  saving  souls  while  we  live, 
for  fear  of  consequences  which  may  possibly,  or  probably, 
happen  after  we  are  dead."  To  this  principle  Mr.  Wesley 
was  "  faithful  unto  death,"  and  it  is  the  true  key  to  his 
public  conduct.  His  brother,  after  some  years,  less  stea- 
dily adhered  to  it ;  and  most  of  the  clergymen,  who  at- 
tached  themselves  to  Mr.  Wesley  in  the  earlier  periods  of 
Methodism,  found  it  too  bold  a  position,  and  one  which  ex- 
posed them  to  too  severe  a  fire,  to  be  maintained  by  them. 
It  required  a  firmer  courage  than  theirs  to  hold  out  at  such 
a  post ;  but  the  founder  of  Methodism  never  betrayed  the 
trust  which  circumstances  had  laid  upon  him. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  year  1745  was  chiefly  spent  by  Mr.  Charles  Wes- 
ley in  London,  Bristol,  and  Wales.  In  the  early  part  of 
the  next  year,  he  paid  a  visit  to  a  society  raised  up  by  Mr. 
Whitefield  at  Plymouth,  and  from  thence  proceeded  into 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


117 


Cornwall,  where  he  preached  in  various  places  with  great 
success ;  but  in  some  of  them  amidst  much  persecution. 
He  reviewed  this  journey  with  great  thankfulness,  because 
of  the  eflects  which  had  been  produced  by  his  ministry  ; 
and  at  the  close  of  it  he  wrote  the  hymn  beginning  with 
the  stanza, — 

"  All  thanks  be  God, 

Who  scatters  abroad 

Throughout  every  place, 
By  the  least  of  his  servants,  his  savour  of  grace : 

Who  the  victory  gave 

The  praisa  let  him  have  ; 

For  the  work  he  hath  done  ; 
All  honour  and  glory  to  Jesus  alone  !" 

On  his  return  to  London,  through  the  introduction  of 
Mr.  E.  Perronet,  a  pious  young  man,  he  visited  the  Rev. 
Vincent  Perronet,  the  venerable  vicar  of  Shoreham,  in  Kent, 
a  vcr\-  holy  and  excellent  clergyman,  of  whose  wise  and 
considerate  counsels  the  Wesleys  afterward  frequently 
availed  themselves,  in  all  matters  which  involved  particu- 
lar difficulty.  The  name  of  Wesley  was,  however,  it  seems, 
every  where  become  a  signal  for  riot ;  for  being  invited  to 
perform  service  in  Shoreham  church,  "  as  soon,"  says  he. 
"  as  I  began  to  preach,  the  wild  beasts  began  roaring, 
stamping,  blaspheming,  ringing  the  bells,  and  turning  the 
church  into  a  bear  garden.  I  spoke  on  for  half  an  hour, 
though  only  the  nearest  could  hear.  The  rioters  followed 
us  to  Mr.  Perronet's  house,  raging,  threatening,  and  throw, 
ing  stones.  Charles  Perronet  hung  over  mo  to  intercept 
the  blows.  They  continued  their  uproar  after  we  got  into 
the  house."  {Journal.)  Mr.  E.  Perronet  returned  with 
him  to  London,  and  accompanied  him  on  a  tour  to  the 
north.  On  the  way,  they  visited  Staffordshire,  which  was 
still  riotous  and  persecuting ;  and  Mr.  Charles  Wesley's 
young  friend  had  a  second  specimen  of  the  violent  and 
ignorant  prejudice  with  which  these  modern  apostles  were 
followed.  The  mob  beset  the  house  at  Tippen  Green,  and, 
beating  at  the  door,  demanded  entrance.  "I  sat  still,"  says 
he,  "  in  the  midst  of  them  for  half  an  hour,  and  was  a  little 
concerned  for  E.  Perronet,  lest  such  rough  treatment,  at 
his  first  setting  out,  should  daunt  him.  But  he  abounded 
in  valour,  and  was  for  reasoning  with  the  wild  beasts  before 
they  had  spent  any  of  their  violence.    He  got  a  deal  of 


118 


UFE  OP  THE 


abuse  thereby,  and  not  a  little  dirt,  both  of  which  he  took 
very  patiently.  I  had  no  design  to  preach  ;  but  being 
called  upon  by  so  unexpected  a  congregation,  1  rose  at 
last,  and  read,  '  When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his 
glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him,  then  shall  he  sit 
on  the  throne  of  his  glory.'  While  I  reasoned  with  them 
of  judgment  to  come,  they  erew  calmer  by  Httle  and  little. 
[  then  spake  to  them,  one  By  one,  till  the  Lord  had  dis- 
armed them  all.  One  who  stood  out  the  longest,  I  held 
by  the  hand,  and  urged  the  love  of  Christ  crucified,  till,  in 
spite  of  both  his  natural  and  diabolical  courage,  he  trem- 
bled like  a  leaf.  I  was  constrained  to  break  out  into 
prayer  for  him.  Our  leopards  were  all  become  lambs ; 
and  very  kind  we  were  at  parting.  Near  midnight  the 
house  was  clear  and  quiet.  We  gave  thanks  to  God  for 
our  salvation,  and  slept  in  peace."  (Journal.) 

Proceeding  onward  to  Dewsbury,  he  met  with  an  in- 
stance of  clerical  candour,  which,  as  it  was  rare  in  those 
times,  deserves  to  be  recorded  :  "  The  minister  did  not 
condemn  the  society  unheard,  but  talked  with  them,  ex- 
amined into  the  doctrine  they  had  been  taught,  and  its 
effects  on  their  lives.  When  he  found  that  as  many  as 
had  been  affected  by  the  preaching  were  evidently  re- 
formed, and  brought  to  church  and  sacrament,  he  testified 
his  approbation  of  the  work,  and  rejoiced  that  sinners 
were  converted  to  God."  (Whitehead's  Life.) 

After  visiting  Newcastle,  he  went,  at  the  request  of  Mr. 
Wardrobe,  a  dissenting  minister,  to  Hexham,  where  the 
following  incidents  occurred  :  "  I  walked  directly  to  the 
market  place,  and  called  sinners  to  repentance.  A  multi- 
tude of  them  stood  staring  at  me,  but  all  quiet.  The  Lord 
opened  my  mouth,  and  they  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  stole 
off  their  hats,  and  listened  ;  none  offered  to  interrupt,  but 
one  unfortunate  esquire  who  could  get  no  one  to  second 
him.  His  servants  and  the  constables  hid  themselves ; 
one  he  found,  and  bid  him  go  and  take  me  down.  The 
poor  constable  simply  answered,  '  Sir,  I  cannot  have  the 
face  to  do  it,  for  what  harm  does  he  do  ?'  Several  papists 
attended,  and  the  Church  minister  who  had  refused  me 
his  pulpit  with  indignation.  However,  he  came  to  hear 
with  his  own  ears.  I  wish  all  who  hang  us  first  would, 
like  him,  try  us  afterward. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


119 


"  I  walked  back  to  Mr.  Ord's  through  the  people,  who 
acknowledged, '  It  is  the  truth,  and  none  can  speak  against 
it.'  A  constable  followed,  and  told  me,  '  Sir  Edward 
Blacket  orders  you  to  disperse  the  town,'  (depart,  I  suppose 
he  meant,)  '  and  not  raise  a  disturbance  here.'  I  sent  my 
respects  to  Sir  Edward,  and  said,  if  he  would  give  me 
leave,  I  would  wait  upon  him  and  satisfy  him.  He  soon 
returned  with  an  answer  that  Sir  Edward  would  have 
nothing  to  say  to  me  ;  but  if  I  preached  again,  and 
raised  a  disturbance,  he  would  put  the  law  in  execution 
against  mc.  I  answered  that  I  was  not  conscious  of  break- 
ing any  law  of  God  or  man ;  but  if  I  did,  I  Avas  ready  to 
suffer  the  penalty ;  that,  as  I  had  not  given  notice  of 
preaching  again  at  the  Cross,  I  should  not  preach  again  at 
that  place,  nor  cause  a  disturbance  any  where.  I  charged 
the  constable,  a  trembling,  submissive  soul,  to  assure  his 
worship  that  I  reverenced  him  for  his  office'  sake.  The 
only  place  I  could  get  to  preach  in  was  a  cock-pit,  and  I 
expected  Satan  would  come  and  fight  me  on  his  own 
ground.  'Squire  Roberts,  the  justice's  son,  laboured  hard 
to  raise  a  mob,  for  which  I  was  to  be  answerable  ;  but  the 
very  boys  ran  away  from  him,  when  the  poor  'squire  per- 
suaded them  to  go  down  to  the  cock-pit  and  cry  fire.  I 
called,  in  words  then  first  heard  in  that  place,  '  Repent 
and  be  converted,  that  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out.'  God 
struck  the  hard  rock,  and  the  waters  gushed  out.  Never 
have  I  seen  a  people  more  desirous  of  knowing  the  truth 
at  the  first  hearing.  I  passed  the  evening  in  conference 
with  Mr.  Wardrobe.  O  that  all  our  dissenting  ministers 
were  like-minded,  then  would  all  dissensions  cease  for 
ever  !  November  28th,  at  six,  wc  assembled  again  in  our 
chapel,  the  cock-pit.  I  imagined  myself  in  the  Pantheon, 
or  some  heathen  temple,  and  almost  scnipled  preaching 
there  at  first ;  but  we  found  '  the  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and 
the  fulness  thereof.'  His  presence  consecrated  the  place. 
Never  have  I  found  a  greater  sense  of  God  than  while  we 
were  repeating  his  own  prayer.  I  set  before  their  eyes 
Chiist  cmcified.  The  rocks  were  melted,  and  gracious 
tears  flowed.  We  knew  not  how  to  part.  I  distributed 
some  books  among  them,  which  they  received  with  the 
utmost  eagerness,  begging  me  to  come  again,  and  to  send 
our  preachers  to  them."  (Journal.) 


120 


tlFE  OF  THE 


After  preaching  in  various  parts  of  Lincolnshire,  and  the 
midland  counties,  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  returned  to  Lon- 
don :  bat  soon,  with  unwearied  spirit,  in  company  with  Mr. 
Minton,  he  set  off  for  Bristol,  taking  Devizes  by  the  way, 
where  he  had  as  narrow  an  escape  for  his  Ufe  as  his  brother 
had  experienced  at  Wednesbury.  An  account  of  these 
distinguished  ministers  of  Christ  would  be  imperfect  with- 
out a  particular  notice  of  a  few  of  their  greatest  perils. 
They  show  the  wretched  state  of  that  country  which  they 
were  the  appointed  instruments  of  raising  into  a  higher 
moral  and  civil  condition,  and  they  illustrate  their  own 
character.  Each  of  the  brothers  might  truly  say  with  an 
apostle,  and  his  coadjutors,  "  We  have  not  received  the 
spirit  of  fear,  but  of  power,  (courage,)  of  love,  and  of  a 
sound  mind."  They  felt,  too,  that  they  had  "  received" 
it ;  foi-,  with  them,  "  boasting  was  excluded"  by  that  "  law 
of  faith"  which  led  them  in  all  things  to  trust  in  and  to 
glorify  God.  The  account  is  taken  from  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley's  journal.  The  Devizes  mob  had  this  peculiarity, 
that  it  was  led  on  not  only  by  the  curate,  but  by  two  dis- 
senters  !  thus  "  Herod  and  Pilate  were  made  friends  :" — 

"February  25th, — a  day  never  to  be  forgotten.  At 
seven  o'clock  I  walked  quietly  to  Mrs.  Philip's,  and  began 
preaching  a  little  before  the  time  appointed.  For  three 
quarters  of  an  hour,  I  invited  a  few  listening  sinners  to 
Christ.  Soon  after,  Satan's  whole  army  assaulted  the 
house.  We  sat  in  a  Uttle  ground  room,  and  ordered  all 
the  doors  to  be  thrown  open.  They  brought  a  hand  engine 
and  began  to  play  into  the  house.  We  kept  our  seats,  and 
they  rushed  into  the  passage  ;  just  then,  Mr.  Borough,  the 
constable,  came,  and  seizing  the  spout  of  the  engine, 
carried  it  off.  They  swore  if  he  did  not  deliver  it  they 
would  pull  down  the  house.  At  that  time  they  might  have 
taken  us  prisoners ;  we  were  close  to  them,  and  none  to 
interpose  ;  but  they  hurried  out  to  fetch  the  larger  engine. 
In  the  meantime,  we  Avere  advised  to  send  for  the  mayor ; 
but  Mr.  Mayor  was  gone  out  of  town,  in  the  sight  of  the 
people,  which  gave  great  encouragement  to  those  who 
were  already  wrought  up  to  a  proper  pitch  by  the  curate, 
and  the  gentlemen  of  the  town,  particularly  Mr.  Sutton 
and  Mr.  Willy,  dissenters,  the  two  leading  men.  Mr.  Sut- 
ton  frequently  came  out  to  the  mob  to  keep  up  their  spirits. 


HEV.  JOHN  WESLET. 


121 


He  sent  word  to  Mrs.  Philips,  that  if  she  did  not  turn  that 
fellow  out  to  the  mob,  he  would  send  them  to  drag  him  out. 
Mr.  Willy  passed  by  again  and  again,  assuring  the  rioters 
he  would  stand  by  them,  and  secure  them  from  the  law, 
do  what  they  would. 

"  The  rioters  now  began  playing  the  larger  engine, 
which  broke  the  windows,  flooded  the  rooms,  and  spoiled 
the  goods.  We  were  withdrawn  to  a  small  upper  room 
in  the  back  part  of  the  house,  seeing  no  way  to  escape 
their  violence,  as  they  seemed  under  the  full  power  of  the 
old  murderer.  They  first  laid  hold  on  the  man  who  kept 
the  society  house,  dragged  him  away,  and  threw  him  into 
the  horse  pond,  and,  it  was  said,  broke  his  back.  Wc 
gave  ourselves  unto  prayer,  beheving  the  Lord  would  de- 
liver us ;  how,  or  when,  we  saw  not,  nor  any  possible 
way  of  escaping  ;  we  therefore  stood  still  to  see  the  salva- 
tion of  God.  Every  now  and  then  some  or  other  of  our 
friends  would  venture  to  us,  but  rather  weakened  our  hands, 
80  that  we  were  forced  to  stop  our  ears  and  look  up. 
Among  the  rest,  the  mayor's  maid  came,  and  told  us  her 
mistress  was  in  tears  about  me,  and  begged  me  to  disguise 
myself  in  woman's  clothes,  and  trj^  to  make  my  escape. 
Her  heart  had  been  turned  toward  us  by  the  conversion  of 
her  son,  just  on  the  brink  of  ruin.  God  laid  his  hand  on 
the  poor  prodigal,  and  instead  of  running  to  sea,  he  entered 
the  society.  The  rioters  without  continued  playing  their 
engine,  which  diverted  them  for  some  time  ;  but  their  num. 
ber  and  fierceness  still  increased  ;  and  the  gentlemen  sup- 
plied them  with  pitchers  of  ale,  as  much  as  they  would 
drink.  They  were  now  on  the  point  of  breaking  in,  when 
Mr.  Borough  thought  of  reading  the  proclamation  ;  he  did 
so  at  the  hazard  of  his  life.  In  less  than  an  hour,  of  above 
a  thousand  wild  beasts,  none  were  left  but  the  guard.  Our 
constable  had  applied  to  Mr.  Street,  the  only  justice  in 
town,  who  would  not  act.  We  found  there  was  no  help  in 
man,  which  drove  us  closer  to  the  Lord ;  and  we  prayed 
with  little  intermission  the  whole  day. 

"  Our  enemies  at  their  return  made  their  main  assault 
at  the  back  door,  swearing  horribly  they  would  have  me 
if  it  cost  them  their  lives.  Many  seeming  accidents  con- 
curred  to  prevent  their  breaking  in.  The  man  of  the 
house  came  home,  and  instead  of  turning  me  out  as  they 
11 


122 


IiIFli!  OF  THB 


expected,  took  part  with  us,  and  stemmed  the  tide  for  some 
time.  They  now  got  a  notion  that  I  had  made  mj-  escape, 
and  ran  down  to  the  inn,  and  played  the  engine  there. 
They  forced  the  innkeeper  to  turn  out  our  horses,  which 
he  immediately  sent  to  Mr.  Clark's,  which  drew  the  rabble 
and  their  engine  thither.  But  the  resolute  old  man  charged 
and  presented  his  gun  till  they  retreated.  Upon  their 
revisiting  us,  we  stood  in  jeopardy  every  moment.  Such 
threatenings,  curses,  and  blasphemies,  I  have  never  heard. 
They  seemed  kept  out  by  a  continual  miracle.  I  remem- 
bered the  Roman  senators,  sitting  in  the  forum,  when  the 
Gauls  broke  in  upon  them,  but  thought  there  was  a  fitter 
posture  tor  Christians,  and  told  my  companion  they  should 
take  us  off  our  knees.  We  were  kept  from  all  hurry  and 
discomposure  of  spirit  by  a  Divine  power  resting  upon  us. 
We  prayed  and  conversed  as  freely  as  if  we  had  been  in 
the  midst  of  our  brethren,  and  had  great  confidence  that 
the  Lord  would  either  deliver  us  from  the  danger,  or  in  it. 
In  the  height  of  the  storm,  just  when  we  wei"e  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  drunken,  enraged  multitude,  Mr.  Minton 
was  so  little  disturbed  that  he  fell  fast  asleep. 

"  They  were  now  close  to  us  on  every  side,  and  over 
our  heads  untiling  the  roof.  A  ruffian  cried  out,  '  Here 
they  are,  behind  the  curtain.'  At  this  time  we  fully 
expected  their  appearance,  and  retired  to  the  furthermost 
corner  of  the  room,  and  I  said,  '  This  is  the  crisis.'  In 
that  moment,  Jesus  rebuked  the  winds  and  the  sea,  and 
there  was  a  great  calm.  We  heard  not  a  breath  without, 
and  wondered  what  was  become  of  them.  The  silence 
lasted  for  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  before  any  one  came 
near  us ;  and  we  continued  in  mutual  exhortation  and 
prayer,  looking  for  deliverance.  I  often  told  my  compa- 
nions,  '  Now  God  is  at  work  for  us ;  he  is  contriving  our 
escape  ;  he  can  turn  these  leopards  into  lambs  ;  can  com- 
mand the  heathen  to  bring  his  children  on  their  shoulders, 
and  make  our  fiercest  enemies  the  instruments  of  our  de- 
liverance.' About  three  o'clock  Mr.  Clark  knocked  at  the 
door,  and  brought  with  him  the  persecuting  constable.  He 
said, '  Sir,  if  you  will  promise  never  to  preach  here  again, 
the  gentlemen  and  I  will  engage  to  bring  you  safe  out  of 
town.'  My  answer  was,  '  I  shall  promise  no  such  thing ; 
setting  aside  my  office,  I  will  not  give  up  my  birth-right,  aa 


BEV.  JOHN  WB8LET. 


123 


an  Englishman,  of  visiting  what  place  I  please  of  his 
majesty's  dominions.'  'Sir,'  said  the  constable,  'we  ex- 
pect  no  such  promise,  that  you  will  never  come  here 
again ;  only  tell  me  that  it  is  not  your  present  intention, 
that  I  may  tell  the  gentlemen,  who  will  then  secure  your 
quiet  departure.'  I  answered, '  I  cannot  come  again  at  this 
time,  because  I  must  return  to  London  a  week  hence. 
But,  observe,  I  make  no  promise  of  not  preaching  here 
when  the  door  is  opened ;  and  do  not  you  say  that  I  do.' 

"  He  went  away  with  this  answer,  and  we  betook  our- 
selves to  prayer  and  thanksgiving.  We  perceived  it  was 
the  Lord's  doing,  and  it  was  marvellous  in  our  eyes.  The 
hearts  of  our  adversaries  were  turned.  Whether  pity  for 
us,  or  fear  for  themselves,  wrought  strongest,  God  know- 
eth ;  probably  the  latter,  for  the  mob  were  wrought  up  to 
such  a  pitch  of  fuiy,  that  their  nmsters  dreaded  the  conse- 
quence,  and  therefore  went  about  appeasing  the  multitude, 
and  charging  them  not  to  touch  us  in  our  departure. 

"  While  the  constable  was  gathering  his  posse,  we  got 
our  things  from  Mr.  Clark's  and  prepared  to  go  forth.  The 
whole  multitude  were  without,  expecting  us,  and  saluted  us 
with  a  general  shout.  The  man  Mrs.  Naylor  had  hired  to 
ride  before  her  was,  as  we  now  perceived,  one  of  the 
rioters.  This  hopeful  guide  was  to  conduct  us  out  of  the 
reach  of  his  fellows.  Mr.  Minton  and  I  took  horse  in  the 
face  of  our  enemies,  who  began  clamouring  against  us  ;  the 
gentlemen  were  dispersed  among  the  mob,  to  bridle  them. 
We  rode  a  slow  pace  up  the  street,  the  whole  multitude 
pouring  along  on  both  sides,  and  attending  us  with  loud 
acclamations.  Such  fierceness  and  diabolical  malice  I 
have  not  before  seen  in  human  faces.  They  ran  up  to  our 
horses  as  if  they  would  swallow  us,  but  did  not  know 
which  was  Wesley.  We  felt  great  peace  and  acquiescence 
in  the  honour  done  us,  while  the  whole  town  wei'e  specta- 
tors of  our  march.  When  out  of  sight  we  mended  our 
pace,  and  about  seven  o'clock  came  to  Wrexall.  The 
news  of  our  danger  was  got  thither  before  us  ;  but  we 
brought  the  welcome  tidings  of  our  deliverance.  We 
joined  in  hearty  prayer  to  our  Deliverer,  singing  the  hymn, 
'  Worship,  and  thanks,  and  blessings,'  &c. 

"  February  26, 1  preached  at  Bath,  and  we  rejoiced  like 


124 


UFB  OF  THE 


men  who  take  the  spoil.    We  continued  our  triumph  at 

Bristol,  and  reaped  the  fruit  of  our  labours  and  sufferings." 

Amidst  such  storms,  more  or  less  violent,  were  the  foun- 
dations of  that  work  laid,  the  happy  results  of  which  tens 
of  thousands  now  enjoy  in  peace.  But  even  the  piety 
which  could  hazard  such  labours  and  dangers  for  the  sake 
of  "  seeking  and  saving  the  lost ;"  and  the  heroic  devoted- 
ness  which  remained  constant  under  them,  has  not  been 
able  to  win  the  praise  ef  prejudiced  writers  on  the  subject 
of  Methodism.  Dr.  Southcy  {Life  of  Wesley)  has  little 
sympathy  with  the  sufferings  which  a  persecuted  people 
were  doomed  in  many  places  so  callously  to  endure ;  and 
he  finds  in  the  heroism'of  their  leaders  a  subject  of  reproach 
and  contempt,  rather  than  of  that  admiration  which,  had 
they  occupied  some  poetical  position,  he  had  doubtless 
expressed  as  forcibly  and  nobly  as  any  man. 

Mr.  Whitefield,  he  tells  us,  had  "  a  great  longing  to  bo 
persecuted,"  though  the  quotation  from  one  of  his  letters, 
on  which  he  justifies  the  aspersion,  shows  nothing  more 
than  a  noble  defiance  of  suffering,  should  it  occur  in  the 
course  of  what  he  esteemed  his  duty.  Similar  sarcasms 
have  been  cast  by  infidels  upon  all  who,  in  every  age,  have 
suffered  for  the  sake  of  Christ ;  and  like  those  in  which 
Dr.  Southey  has  indulged,  they  were  intended  to  darken 
the  lustre  of  that  patient  courage  which  sprang  out  of  love 
to  the  Saviour  and  the  souls  of  men,  by  resolving  it  into 
spiritual  pride,  and  a  desire  to  render  themselves  conspicu- 
ous. Of  John  Nelson,  one  of  Mr.  Wesley's  first  lay 
coadjutors,  who  endured  no  ordinaiy  share  of  oppression 
and  suffering,  as  unprovoked  and  unmerited  as  the  most 
modest  and  humble  demeanour  on  his  part  could  render  it, 
Dr.  Southey  truly  says,  that  "  he  had  as  high  a  spirit,  and 
as  brave  a  heart  as  ever  Englishman  was  blessed  with ;" 
yet  even  the  narration  of  his  wrongs,  so  scandalous  to  the 
magistracy  of  the  day,  and  which  were  sustained  by  him 
in  the  full  spirit  of  Christian  constancy,  is  not  dismissed 
without  a  sneer  at  this  honest  and  suffering  man  himself. 
"  To  prison  therefore  Nelson  was  taken,  to  his  heart's  con- 
tent." And  so  because  he  chose  a  prison  rather  than 
violate  his  conscience,  and  endured  imprisonments  and 
other  injuries,  with  the  unbending  feeUng  of  a  high  and 
noble  mind,  corrected  and  controlled  by  "  the  meekness 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


125 


and  gentleness  of  Christ,"  imprisonment  was  his  desire, 
and  the  distinction  which  he  is  supposed  to  have  derived 
from  it,  his  motive  !  Before  criticism  so  flippant  and  cal- 
lous, no  character,  however  sacred  and  revered,  could 
stand.  It  might  be  applied  with  equal  success  to  the  per- 
secutions of  the  apostles,  and  the  first  Christians  them- 
selves ;  to  the  confessors  in  the  reign  of  Mary ;  and  to 
the  whole  "  noble  army  of  martjTS." 

The  real  danger  to  which  these  excellent  men  were  ex- 
posed is,  however,  concealed  by  Dr.  Southey.  White- 
tield's  fears,  or  rather  hopes  of  persecution,  he  says,  "  were 
suited  to  the  days  of  Queen  Mar}-,  Bishop  Gardiner,  and 
Bishop  Bonner;  they  were  ridiculous  or  disgusting  in 
the  time  of  George  the  Second,  Archbishop  Potter,  and 
Bishop  Gibson."  This  is  said  because  Mr.  Whitefield 
thought  that  he  might  probably  be  called  to  "resist  unto 
blood ;"  and  our  author  would  have  it  supposed,  that  all 
this  was  "  safe  boasting,"  in  the  reign  of  George  the  Se- 
cond,  and  whilst  the  English  Church  had  its  Archbishop 
Potter  and  its  Bishop  Gibson.  But  not  even  in  the  early 
part  of  the  reign  of  George  the  Third,  and  with  other 
bishops  in  the  Church  as  excellent  as  Potter  and  Gibson, 
was  the  anticipation  groundless.  The  real  danger  was  in 
fact  so  great  from  the  brutality  of  the  populace,  the  igno- 
rance and  supineness  of  the  magistrates,  and  the  mob- 
exciting  activity  of  the  clergy,  one  of  whom  was  usually 
the  instigator  of  every  tumult,  that  eveiy  man  who  went 
forth  on  the  errand  of  mercy  in  that  day  took  his  life  in  his 
hand,  and  needed  the  spirit  of  a  martyr,  though  he  was  not 
in  danger  of  suff'ering  a  martyr's  death  by  regular  civil  or 
ecclesiastical  process.  Dr.  Southey  has  himself  in  part 
furnished  the  confutation  of  his  own  suggestion,  that  little 
danger  was  to  be  apprehended,  by  the  brief  statements  he 
has  given  of  the  hair-breadth  escapes  of  the  Wesleys,  and 
of  the  sufferings  of  John  Nelson.  But  a  volume  might  be 
filled  with  accounts  of  outrages  committed  from  that  day 
to  our  own,  in  different  places,  (for  they  now  occasionally 
occur  in  obscure  and  unenlightened  parts  of  the  country,) 
upon  the  persons  of  Methodist  preachers,  for  the  sole  fault 
of  visiting  neglected  places,  and  preaching  the  Gospel  of 
salvation  to  those  who,  if  Christianity  be  true,  are  in  a 
state  of  spiritual  darkness  and  danger.  To  be  pelted  with 
11* 


126 


LIFE  OF  THE 


stones,  dragged  through  ponds,  beaten  with  bludgeons, 

rolled  in  mud,  and  to  sufTer  other  modes  of  ill  treatment, 
was  the  anticipation  of  all  the  first  preachers  when  they 
entered  upon  their  work ;  and  this  was  also  the  lot  of  many 
of  their  hearers.  Some  lives  were  lost,  and  many  shorten- 
ed ;  the  most  singular  escapes  are  on  record ;  and  if  the 
tragedy  was  not  deeper,  that  was  owing  at  length  to  the  ex- 
phcit  declarations  of  George  III.  on  the  subject  of  tolera- 
tion,  and  the  upright  conduct  of  the  judges  in  their  circuits, 
and  in  the  higher  courts,  when  an  appeal  was  made  to  the 
laws  in  some  of  the  most  atrocious  cases.  Assuredly,  the 
country  magistrates  in  general,  and  the  clergy,  were  en- 
titled  to  little  share  of  the  praise.  Much  of  this  is  acknow- 
ledged by  Dr.  Southey ;  but  he  attempts  to  throw  a  part 
of  the  blame  upon  the  Wesleys  themselves.  "  Their  doc- 
trines  of  perfection  and  assurance"  were,  he  thinks,  among 
the  causes  of  their  persecution  ;  and  "  their  zeal  was  not 
tempered  with  discretion."  With  discretion,  in  his  view 
of  it,  their  zeal  was  not  tempered.  Such  discretion  would 
neither  have  put  them  in  the  way  of  persecution,  nor 
brought  it.  upon  them ;  it  would  have  disturbed  no  sinner 
and  saved  no  soul ;  but  they  were  not  indiscreet  in  seek- 
ing  danger,  and  provoking  language  never  escaped  lips  in 
which  the  law  of  meekness  always  triumphed  :  and  as  for 
doctrines,  the  mobs  and  their  exciters  were  then  just  as 
discriminating  as  mobs  have  ever  been  from  the  beginning 
of  the  world.  They  were  usually  stirred  up  by  the  clergy, 
and  other  persons  of  influence  in  the  neighbourhood,  who 
were  almost  as  ignorant  as  the  ruffians  they  employed  to 
assault  the  preachers  and  their  peaceable  congregations. 
The  description  of  the  mob  at  Ephesus,  in  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  suited  them  as  well  as  if  they  had  been  the  origi- 
nal,  and  not  the  copy, — "  Some  cried  one  thing,  and  some 
another ;  for  the  assembly  was  confused ;  and  the  most 
part  knew  not  wherefore  they  were  come  together."  They 
generally,  however,  agreed  to  pull  down  the  preacher,  and 
to  abuse  both  him  and  his  hearers,  men,  women,  and  even 
children ;  and  that  because  "  they  troubled  them  about 
rehgion." 

That  immediate  resort  to  God  in  prayer,  which  was 
practised,  in  cases  of  "peril  and  danger,"  by  these  perse- 
cuted ministers ;  and  their  ascription  of  deliverances  to 


KEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


127 


the  Divine  interposition,  as  in  the  instances  above  given, 
have  also  been  subjects  of  either  grave  rebuke,  or  semi- 
intiilel  ridicule.  It  is  not  necessary  to  contend  that  every 
particular  instance  Avhich,  in  the  journals  of  the  Wesleys, 
is  referred  to  an  immediate  answer  to  prayer,  was  so  in 
reality;  because  a  few  cases  may  reasonably  appear 
doubttlil.  These,  hoAvever,  only  prove  that  they  culti- 
vated the  habit  of  regarding  God  in  all  things,  and  of 
gratefully  acknowledging  his  hand  in  all  the  events  of  life ; 
and  if  there  was  at  any  time  any  over  application  of  these 
excellent  views  and  feelings,  yet  in  minds  so  sober  as  to 
make  the  word  of  God,  diligently  studied,  their  only  guide 
in  all  matters  of  practice,  no  injurious  result  could  follow. 
But  we  must  reject  the  Bible  altogether,  if  we  shut  out  a 
particular  Providence ;  and  we  reduce  prayer  to  a  real 
absurdity,  unless  we  allow  that  its  very  ground  and  rea- 
son is  special  interposition.  Why,  for  instance,  should  a 
Collect  teach  us  to  pray  that  "  this  day  we  may  fall  into 
no  sin,  neither  run  into  any  kind  of  danger,"  if  we  do 
not  thereby  place  ourselves  under  a  special  protection  of 
God,  and  if  our  interests  must  necessarily  be  dragged  after 
the  wheel  of  some  general  system  of  government  ?  Divine 
interposition  is  indeed  ordinarily  invisible,  and  can  be 
known  only  from  general  results ;  it  impresses  no  mark 
of  interruption  or  of  quickened  activity  upon  the  general 
courses  of  things  with  which  we  may  be  surrounded;  it 
works  often  unconsciously  through  our  own  faculties,  and 
through  the  wills  and  purposes  of  others,  as  unconscious 
of  it  as  we  ourselves ;  yet  even  in  this  case,  -where  the 
indevout  see  man  only,  the  better  instructed  acknowledge 
God  who  "  worketh  all  in  all."  But  to  say  that  the  hand 
of  God  is  never  specially  marked  in  its  operations ;  that 
his  servants  who  are  raised  up  by  him  for  important  ser- 
vices  shall  never  receive  proof  j  of  his  particular  care ; 
that  an  entire  trust  in  him  in  the  most  critical  circum- 
stances shall  have  no  visible  honour  put  upon  it ;  that 
when  we  are  "in  all  things"  commanded  to  make  our  re- 
quests known  imto  God,  the  prayers  wliich,  in  obedience 
to  that  command,  we  offer  to  him  in  the  time  of  trouble 
shall  never  have  a  special  answer,  is  to  maintain  notions 
wholly  subversive  of  piety,  and  which  cannot  be  held  with- 
out rejecting,  or  reducing  to  unmeaningness,  many  of  the 


128 


LIFE  OF  THE 


most  explicit  and  important  declarations  of  Holy  Scrip 
ture.  These  were  not  the  views  entertained  by  the  Wes 
leys ;  and  in  their  higher  belief  they  coincided  with  good 
men  in  all  ages.  They  felt  that  they  were  about  their 
Master's  business,  and  they  trusted  in  their  Master's  care, 
HO  long  as  it  might  be  for  his  glory  that  they  should  be 
permitted  to  live.  Nor  for  that  were  they  anxious ;  de- 
siring only,  that  whilst  they  lived  they  should  "  live  unto 
the  Lord,"  and  that  when  they  died  "  they  should  die  to 
him ;"  and  that  so  "  Christ  might  be  magnified  in  their 
body  whether  by  life,  or  by  death." 

The  labours  of  Mr.  John  Wesley,  during  the  same 
period  of  two  years,  may  be  abridged  from  his  journal. 
In  the  first  month  of  the  year  1745,  we  find  him  at  Lon- 
don,  and  at  Bristol  and  its  neighbourhood.  In  February, 
he  made  a  journey,  in  the  stormy  and  wintry  weather  of 
that  season,  to  Newcastle,  preaching  at  various  interme- 
diate places.  The  following  extract  shows  the  cheerful 
and  buoyant  spirit  with  which  he  encountered  these  diffi- 
culties : — 

"  Many  a  rough  journey  have  I  had  before ;  but  one 
like  this  I  never  had,  between  wind  and  hail,  and  rain  and 
ice,  and  snow,  and  driving  sleet,  and  piercing  cold.  But 
it  is  past.  Those  days  will  return  no  more,  and  are  there- 
fore as  though  they  had  never  been. 

"  '  Pain,  disappointment,  sickness,  strife, 
Whate'er  molests  or  troubles  life  ; 
However  grievous  in  its  stay, 
It  shakes  the  tenement  of  clay. 
When  past,  as  nothing  we  esteem  ; 
And  pain,  like  pleasure,  is  a  dream.'"  (Journal.) 

As  a  specimen  of  that  cool  and  self-possessed  manner 
which  gave  him  so  great  a  power  over  rude  minds,  we 
may  take  the  following  anecdote.  A  man  at  Newcastle 
had  signalized  himself  by  personal  insults  offered  to  him 
in  the  streets ;  and,  upon  inquiry,  he  found  him  an  old 
offender  in  persecuting  the  members  of  the  society  by 
abusing  and  throwing  stones  at  them.  Upon  this  he  sent 
him  the  following  note  : — 

"  Robert  Young, — I  expect  to  see  you,  between  this 
and  Friday,  and  to  hear  from  you,  that  you  are  sensible  of 
your  fault.    Otherwise,  in  pity  to  your  soul,  I  shall  be 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


obliged  to  inform  the  magistrates  of  your  assaulting  me 

yesterday  in  the  street. 

"  I  am  your  real  friend, 

"John  Wesley. 

"  Within  two  or  three  hours,  Robert  Young  came,  and 
promised  a  quite  different  behaviour.  So  did  this  gentle 
reproof,  if  not  save  a  soul  from  death,  yet  prevent  a  multi- 
tude of  sins."  (Journal.) 

Whilst  at  Newcastle,  he  drew  up  the  following  case  : — 
"Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  March  11,  1745-6. 

"  I  have  been  drawing  up  this  morning  a  short  state  of 
the  case  between  the  clergy  and  us  :  I  leave  you  to  make 
any  such  use  of  it  as  you  believe  M  ill  be  to  the  glorj-  of  God. 

"1.  About  seven  years  since  we  began  preaching  inward, 
present  salvation,  as  attainable  by  faith  alone. 

"2.  For  preaching  this  doctrine  we  were  forbidden  to 
preach  in  the  churches. 

"  3.  We  then  preached  in  private  houses,  as  occasion 
offered ;  and  when  the  houses  could  not  contain  the  peo- 
ple, in  the  open  air. 

"  4.  For  this  many  of  the  clergy  preached  or  printed 
against  us,  as  both  heretics  and  schismatics. 

"  5.  Persons  who  were  convinced  of  sin  begged  us  to 
advise  them  more  particularly,  how  to  flee  from  the  wrath 
to  come.  We  rephed,  if  they  would  all  come  at  one  time 
(for  they  were  numerous)  we  would  endeavour  it. 

"  6.  For  this  we  were  represented,  both  from  the  pulpit 
and  the  press,  (we  have  heard  it  with  our  ears,  and  seen 
it  Avith  our  eyes,)  as  introducing  popery,  raising  sedition, 
practising  both  against  Church  and  State  :  and  all  man- 
ner  of  evil  was  publicly  said  both  of  us  and  those  who 
were  accustomed  to  meet  with  us. 

"  7.  Finding  some  truth  herein,  viz.  that  some  of  those 
who  so  met  together,  walked  disorderly,  we  immediately 
desired  them  not  to  come  to  us  any  more. 

"8.  And  the  more  steady  were  desired  to  overlook  the 
rest,  that  we  might  know  if  they  walked  according  to  the 
Gospel. 

"  9.  But  now  several  of  the  bishops  began  to  speak 
against  us,  either  in  conversation  or  in  public. 

"  10.  On  this  encouragement  several  of  the  clergy  stir 
red  up  the  people  to  tr«at  us  as  outlaws  or  mad  doga. 


180 


UFE  OF  THE 


"13.  The  people  did  so,  both  in  Staffordshire,  Com- 
wall,  and  many  other  places. 

"  12.  And  they  do  still,  wherever  they  are  not  restrain- 
ed by  their  fear  of  the  secular  magistrate. 

"  Thus  the  case  stands  at  present.  Now  what  can  we 
do,  or  what  can  you  our  brethren  do  toward  healing  this 
breach?  which  is  highly  desirable;  that  we  may  with- 
stand with  joint  force,  the  still  increasing  flood  of  Popeiy, 
Deism,  and  immorahty. 

"  Desire  of  us  any  thing  we  can  do  with  a  safe  con- 
science, and  we  will  do  it  immediately.  Will  you  meet  us 
here  ?  Will  you  do  what  we  desire  of  you,  so  far  as  you 
can  with  a  safe  conscience? 

"Let  us  come  to  particulars.  Do  you  desire  us,  1.  To 
preach  another,  or  to  desist  from  preaching  this,  doctrine? 

"  We  think  you  do  not  desire  it,  as  knowing  we  cannot 
do  this  with  a  safe  conscience. 

"  Do  you  desire  us,  2.  To  desist  from  preaching  in  pri- 
vate houses,  or  in  the  open  air  ?  As  things  are  now  cir- 
cumstanced, this  would  be  the  same  as  desiring  us  not  to 
preach  at  all. 

"  Do  you  desire  us,  3.  To  desist  from  advising  those 
who  now  meet  together  for  that  purpose  ?  or,  in  other 
words,  to  dissolve  our  societies  ? 

"  We  cannot  do  this  with  a  safe  conscience  :  for  we 
apprehend  many  souls  would  be  lost  thereby,  and  that 
God  would  require  their  blood  at  our  hands. 

"  Do  you  desire  us,  4.  To  advise  them  only  one  by  one  ? 

"  This  is  impossible,  because  of  their  number. 

"  Do  you  desire  us,  5.  To  suffer  those  who  walk  disor- 
derly  still  to  mix  with  the  rest  ? 

"  Neither  can  we  do  this  with  a  safe  conscience ;  be- 
cause evil  communications  corrupt  good  manners. 

"Do  you  desire  us,  6.  To  discharge  those  leaders  of 
bands  or  classes  (as  we  term  them)  who  overlook  the  rest? 

"This  is  in  effect,  to  suffer  the  disorderly  walkers  still 
to  mix  with  the  rest,  which  we  dare  not  do. 

"  Do  you  desire  jjs,  lastly,  to  behave  with  reverence  to- 
ward  those  who  are  overseers  of  the  Church  of  God  ?  and 
with  tenderness,  both  to  the  character  and  persons  of  our 
brethren,  the  inferior  clergy? 

"  By  the  grace  of  God,  we  can  and  will  do  this.  Yea> 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


131 


our  conscience  beareth  us  witness,  that  we  have  already 
laboured  so  to  do  ;  and  that,  at  all  times  and  in  all  places. 

"  If  you  ask,  what  we  desii'e  of  you  to  do,  we  answer, 
1.  We  do  not  desire  any  of  you  to  let  us  preach  in  your 
churches,  either  if  you  believe  us  to  preach  false  doctrine, 
or  if  you  have,  upon  any  other  ground,  the  least  scruple 
concerning  it.  But  we  desire  that  any  who  believes  us  to 
preach  true  doctrine,  and  has  no  scruple  at  all  in  this  mat- 
ter, may  not  be  either  publicly  or  privately  discouraged 
from  inviting  us  to  preach  in  his  church. 

"2.  We  do  not  desire  that  any  one  who  thinks  that  we 
ai'e  heretics  or  schismatics,  and  that  it  is  his  duty  to  preach 
or  print  against  us  as  such,  should  refrain  therefrom,  so 
long  as  he  thinks  it  his  duty  (although  in  this  case  the 
breach  can  never  be  healed.) 

"  But  we  desire  that  none  will  pass  such  a  sentence, 
until  he  has  calmly  considered  both  sides  of  the  question  ; 
tiiat  he  would  not  condemn  us  unheard,  but  first  read  what 
we  have  written,  and  pray  earnestly  that  God  may  direct 
him  in  the  right  way. 

"  3.  We  do  not  desire  any  favour,  if  either  Popery,  sedi- 
tion, or  immorality  be  proved  against  us. 

"  But  we  desire,  you  will  not  credit,  without  proof,  any 
of  those  senseless  tales  that  pass  current  with  the  vulgar  ; 
that,  if  you  do  not  credit  them  yourselves,  you  will  not 
relate  them  to  others;  (which  we  have  known  done;) 
yea,  that  you  will  confute  them,  so  far  as  ye  have  oppor- 
tunity, and  discountenance  those  who  still  retail  them 
abroad. 

"  4.  We  do  not  desire  any  preferment,  favour,  or  recom- 
mendation trom  those  that  are  in  authority,  either  in  Church 
or  state.    But  we  desire, 

"  1.  That  if  any  thing  material  be  laid  to  our  charge,  we 
may  bo  permitted  to  answer  for  ourselves.  2.  That  you 
would  hinder  your  dependents  from  stirring  up  the  rabble 
against  us,  who  are  certainly  not  the  proper  judges  of 
these  matters ;  and  3.  That  you  would  eifectually  sup 
press,  and  thoroughly  discountenance,  all  riots  and  popular 
insurrections,  which  evidently  strike  at  the  foundation  of 
all  government,  whether  of  Church  or  state. 

"  Now  these  things  you  certainly  can  do,  and  that  with 
a  safe  conscience  ;  therefore,  until  these  things  are  done, 


132 


LIFE  OF  THE 


the  continuance  of  the  breach  is  chargeable  on  you  and 
you  only."  {Works,  vol.  iii,  pp.  329-331.) 

It  is  evident  from  this  paper  that  Mr.  Wesley's  difficul- 
ties, arising  from  his  having  raised  up  a  distinct  people, 
within  the  national  Church,  pressed  upon  him.  He  desired 
union  and  co-operation  with  the  clergy,  but  his  hope  was 
disappointed  ;  and  perhaps  it  was  much  more  than  he 
could  reasonably  indulge.  It  shows,  however,  his  own 
sincerity,  and  that  he  was  not  only  led  into  his  course  of 
irregularity,  but  impelled  forward  in  it,  by  circumstances 
which  his  zeal  and  piety  had  created,  and  which  all  his 
prejudices  in  favour  of  the  Church  could  not  control. 

After  spending  some  time  in  Newcastle  and  the  neigh- 
bouring places,  he  visited  Lincolnshire,  Yorkshire,  Lan- 
cashire,  and  Cheshire.  On  his  return  southward,  he  called 
at  Wednesbury,  long  the  scene  of  riot,  and  preached  in 
peace.  At  Birmingham  he  had  to  abide  the  pelting  of 
stones  and  dirt ;  and,  on  his  return  to  London,  he  found 
some  of  the  society  inclined  to  Quakerism ;  but  by  read- 
ing "  Barclay's  Apology"  over  with  them,  and  commenting 
upon  it,  they  were  recovered.  Antinomianism,  both  of 
Mystic  and  Calvinistic  origin,  also  gave  him  trouble ;  but 
his  testimony  against  it  was  unsparing.  To  erroneous 
opinions,  when  innocent,  no  man  was  more  tender  ;  but 
when  they  infected  the  conduct,  they  met  from  him  the 
sternest  resistance.  "  I  wovdd  wish  all  to  observe,  that 
the  points  in  question  between  us  and  either  the  German 
or  English  Antinomians  are  not  points  of  opinion,  but  of 
practice.  We  break  with  no  man  for  his  opinion.  We 
think  and  let  think."  (Journal.) 

In  the  summer  he  proceeded  to  Cornwall,  where  Dr. 
Borlase,  the  historian  of  tiiat  country,  in  the  plenitude  of  his 
magisterial  authority,  still  carried  on  a  systematic  persecu- 
tion against  the  Methodists.  He  had  made  out  an  order 
for  Mr.  Maxfield,  who  had  been  preaching  in  various 
places,  to  be  sent  on  board  a  man  of  war,  but  the  captain 
would  not  take  him.  A  pious  and  peaceable  miner,  with 
a  wife  and  seven  children,  was  also  apprehended  under  the 
doctor's  warrant,  because  he  had  said  "  that  he  knew  his 
sins  forgiven ;"  and  this  zealous  anti-heretic  finally  made 
out  a  warrant  against  Mr.  Wesley  himself,  but  could  find 
no  one  to  execute  it.    From  Cornwall,  where  his  ministry 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


183 


had  been  attended  with  great  effect,  Mr.  Wesley  proceeded 
to  Wales,  and  thence  to  Bristol. 

Count  Zinzendorf,  about  this  time  directed  the  publica- 
tion of  an  advertisement,  declaring  that  he  and  his  people 
had  no  connection  with  John  and  Charles  Wesley ;  and 
concluded  with  a  prophecy,  that  they  would  "  soon  run 
their  heads  against  a  wall."  On  this  Mr.  Wesley  contents 
himself  with  coolly  remarking,  "  We  will  not,  if  we  can 
help  it." 

He  now  proceeded  northward  ;  and  at  Northampton 
called  on  Dr.  Doddridge,  from  w^hom  he  had  previously 
received  several  letters,  breathing  the  most  catholic  spirit. 
At  Leeds  the  mob  pelted  him  and  the  congregation  with 
dirt  and  stones ;  and  the  next  evening,  being  "  in  higher 
excitement,  they  were  ready,"  says  he,  "  to  knock  out  our 
brains  for  joy  that  the  duke  of  Tuscany  was  emperor." 
On  his  arrival  at  Newcastle,  the  town  was  in  the  utmost 
"onsternation,  news  having  arrived  that  the  pretender  had 
entered  Edinburgh.  By  the  most  earnest  preaching,  he 
endeavoured  to  turn  this  season  of  alarm  to  the  spiritual 
profit  of  the  people,  and  the  large  congregations  whom  he 
addressed  in  the  streets  heard  with  solemn  attention.  He 
then  visited  Epworth,  but  speedily  returned  to  Newcastle, 
judging  probably,  that  the  place  of  anxiety  and  danger  was 
his  post  of  duty.  Here  he  made  an  offer  to  the  general, 
through  one  of  the  aldermen,  to  preach  to  the  troops  en- 
camped near  the  town,  whose  dissolute  language  and  man- 
ners greatly  affected  him ;  but  he  seems  to  have  received 
no  favourable  answer  :  so,  after  preaching  a  few  times  near 
the  camp,  he  returned  southwards,  endeavouring,  at  Leeds, 
Birmingham,  and  other  places,  to  turn  the  public  agitation, 
arising  from  the  apprehension  of  civil  war,  to  the  best  ac- 
count, by  enforcing  "  repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  in 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Mr.  Wesley  had  occasionally  employed  himself  in  writ- 
ing  and  getting  printed  small  religious  tracts,  many  thou- 
sands of  which  were  distributed.  This  was  revived  with 
vigour  on  his  return  to  London  this  year ;  and  he  thus,  by 
his  example,  was  probably  the  first  to  apply,  on  any  large 
scale,  this  important  means  of  usefulness  to  the  reforma- 
tion of  the  people.  In  the  form  of  those  excellent  institu- 
tions called  "  tract  societies,"  the  same  plan  has  now  long 


134 


tIFE  OF  THE 


been  carried  on  systematically,  to  the  great  spiritual  advan- 
tage of  many  thousands.  At  this  period  he  observes,  ad- 
verting  to  the  numerous  small  tracts  he  had  written  and 
distributed,  "It  pleased  God  hereby  to  provoke  others  to 
jealousy ;  insomuch  that  the  lord  mayor  had  ordered  a 
large  quantity  of  papers,  dissuading  from  cursing  and 
swearing,  to  be  printed,  and  distributed  to  the  train-bands. 
And  this  day,  an  '  Earnest  Exhortation  to  Serious  Repent, 
ance'  was  given  at  every  church  door  in  or  near  London, 
to  every  person  who  came  out,  and  one  left  at  the  house  of 
every  householder  who  was  absent  from  church.  I  doubt 
not  but  God  gave  a  blessing  therewith."* 

In  the  early  part  of  1746,  we  find  the  following  entry  in 
Mr.  Wesley's  journal : — "  I  set  out  for  Bristol.  On  the 
road  I  read  over  Lord  King's  Account  of  the  Primitive 
Church.  In  spite  of  the  vehement  prejudice  of  my  educa- 
tion,  I  was  ready  to  believe  that  this  was  a  fair  and  impar- 
tial draught.  But  if  so,  it  would  follow,  that  bishops  and 
presbyters  are  (essentially)  of  one  order  ;  and  that  origin- 
ally every  Christian  congregation  was  a  Church  indepen- 
dent on  all  others !" 

The  truth  is,  that  Lord  King  came  in  only  to  confirm 
him  in  views  which  he  had  for  some  time  begun  to  enter, 
tain ;  and  they  were  such  as  show,  that  though  he  was  a 
Church  of  England  man  as  to  affection,  which  was  strong 
and  sincere  as  far  as  its  doctrines  and  its  liturgy  were  con- 
cerned, and  though  he  regarded  it  with  great  deference  as 

*  Journal. — Previous  to  tliis  we  find  liini  a  tract  writsr  and  distri. 
butor ;  for  he  observes  in  the  year  1742,  "  I  set  out  for  Brentford  with 
Robert  Swindels.  The  next  day  we  raaclied  Marlborough.  When 
one  in  the  room  bsnoath  us  was  swearing  desperately,  Mr.  Swindels 
stepped  down,  and  put  into  his  Iiand  the  p  ip?r  entitled  Swear  not  at 
all.  He  thanked  him,  and  promised  to  swear  no  more.  And  he  did  not 
while  he  was  in  the  liouso."  Mr.  Wesley  had  already  written  tracts 
entitled,  "  A  Word  to  a  Smuorgler,"  "A  Word  to  a  S  ibhath  Breaker," 
"  A  Word  to  a  S  wear.T,"  "  A  Word  to  a  Drunkard,"  "  A  Word  to  a 
Street-walker,"  "  A  Word  to  a  Malsf  ictor,"  and  several  others.  Ha 
published  these  that  his  proaclicrs  and  people  might  have  them  to  give 
away  to  those  who  were  guilty  of  these  crimes,  or  in  danger  of  falling 
into  them,  lly  considered  this  as  one  great  means  of  spreading  the 
knowledge  of  God.  He  also  early  gave  his  influence  to  tlic  Sunday 
school  systam.  Mr.  Raikes  began  his  Sunday  school  in  Gloucester 
in  1784;  and  in  January,  1785,  Mr.  Wesley  published  anaccountof 
it  in  his  magazine,  and  exhorted  his  societies  to  imitate  that  laudable 
example. 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


135 


a  legal  institution,  yet  in  respect  of  its  ecclesiastical  polity 
he  was  even  then  very  free  in  his  opinions.  At  the  second 
conference  in  1745,  it  was  asked,  "  Is  Episcopal,  Presby- 
terian,  or  Independciit  churcli  government,  most  agreeable 
to  reason  ?"  The  answer  is  as  follows  : — 

"  The  plain  origin  of  Church  government  seems  to  be 
this  : — Christ  sends  forth  a  person  to  preach  the  Gospel : 
some  of  those  who  hear  him,  repent  and  believe  in  Christ : 
they  then  desire  him  to  watch  over  them,  to  build  them  up 
in  failli,and  to  guide  their  souls  into  paths  of  righteousness. 
Here  then  is  an  independent  congregation,  subject  to  no 
pastor,  but  their  own ;  neither  liable  to  be  controlled,  in 
things  spiritual,  by  any  other  man,  or  body  of  men  what- 
soever. But  soon  after,  some  from  other  parts,  who  were 
occasionally  present  whilst  he  was  speaking  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord,  beseech  him  to  come  over  and  help  them  also. 
He  complies,  yet  not  till  he  confers  with  the  wisest  and 
holiest  of  his  congregation ;  and  with  their  consent  appoints 
one  who  has  gifts  and  grace  to  watch  over  his  flock  in  his 
absence.  If  it  please  God  to  raise  another  flock,  in  the 
new  place,  before  he  leaves  them,  he  does  the  same  thing, 
appointing  one  whom  God  hath  fitted  for  the  work  to  watch 
over  these  souls  also.  In  like  manner,  in  eveiy  place  where 
it  pleases  God  to  gather  a  little  flock  by  his  word,  he  ap- 
points one  in  his  absence,  to  take  the  oversight  of  the  rest, 
to  assist  them  as  of  the  ability  which  God  giveth. 

"These  are  deacons,  or  servants  of  the  Church,  and 
they  look  upon  their  first  pastor,  as  the  common  father  of 
all  these  congregations,  and  regard  him  in  the  same  light, 
and  esteem  him  still  as  the  shepherd  of  their  souls.  These 
congregations  are  not  strictly  independent,  as  they  depend 
upon  one  pastor,  though  not  upon  each  other. 

"  As  these  congregations  increase,  and  the  deacons 
grow  in  years  and  grace,  they  need  other  subordinate 
deacons,  or  helpers,  in  respect  of  whom  they  may  be  culled 
presbyters  or  elders,  as  their  father  in  the  Lord  may  be 
called  the  bishop  or  overseer  of  them  all."* 

[» It  was  in  this  relation,  and  from  pressing  necessity  in  circum. 
stances  of  extreme  emergency,  that  Mr.  Wesley,  assisted  by  other 
presbyters,  ordained  Dr.  Coke,  and  through  hini  Mr.  Asbury,  as 
superintendents,  or  bishops,  of  the  American  Methodist  Churches 
— American  Edit.] 


136 


LIFE  OF  THE 


This  passage  is  important  as  it  shows  that  from  the  first 
he  regarded  his  preachers,  when  called  out  and  devoted  to  the 
work,  as,  in  respect  of  primitive  antiquity  and  the  universal 
Church,  parallel  to  deacons  and  presbyters.  He  also  then 
thought  himself  a  Scriptural  bishop.  Lord  King's  researches 
into  antiquity  served  to  confirm  these  sentiments  and  cor- 
rected his  former  notion  as  to  a  distinction  of  orders. 

It  should  here  be  stated,  that  at  these  early  conferences 
one  sitting  appears  to  have  been  devoted  to  conversation 
on  matters  of  discipline,  in  which  the  propriety  of  Mr. 
Wesley's  proceedings  in  forming  societies,  calling  out 
preachers,  and  originating  a  distinct  rehgious  community, 
governed  by  its  own  laws,  were  considered ;  and  this  neces- 
sarily led  to  the  examination  of  general  questions  of  Church 
government  and  order.  This  will  explain  the  reason  why 
in  tlie  conferences  which  Mr.  Wesley,  his  brother,  two  or 
three  clergymen,  and  a  few  preachers  held  in  the  years 
1744,  1745,  1746,  and  1747,  such  subjects  were  discussed 
as  are  contained  in  the  above  extract  and  in  those  which 
follow.  On  these,  as  on  all  others,  they  set  out  with  the 
principle  of  examining  every  thing  "  to  the  foundation." 

"  Q.  Can  he  be  a  spiritual  governor  of  the  Church  who 
is  not  a  believer,  not  a  member  of  it  ? 

"  A.  It  seems  not ;  though  he  may  be  a  governor  in 
outward  things,  by  a  power  derived  from  the  king. 

"  Q.  What  are  properly  the  laws  of  the  Church  of  England  ? 

"  A.  The  Rubrics  :  and  to  these  we  submit,  as  the  ordi- 
nance of  men,  for  the  Lord's  sake. 

*•  Q.  But  is  not  the  will  of  our  governors  a  law  ? 

"  A.  No  ;  not  of  any  governor,  temporal  or  spiritual , 
therefore  if  any  bishop  wills  that  I  should  not  preach  the 
Gospel,  his  will  is  no  law  to  me. 

"  Q,.  But  if  he  produce  a  law  against  your  preaching  ? 

"A.  I  am  to  obey  God  rather  than  man." 

"  Q.  Is  mutual  consent  absolutely  necessary  between 
the  pastor  and  his  flock  ? 

"  A.  No  question.  I  cannot  guide  any  soul,  unless  he 
consent  to  be  guided  by  me ;  neither  can  any  soul  force 
me  to  guide  him,  if  I  consent  not. 

"  Q.  Does  the  ceasing  of  this  consent  on  either  side 
dissolve  this  relation  ? 


REV.  JOHA  WESLEV. 


137 


"  A.  It  must  in  the  very  nature  of  things.  If  a  man  no 
longer  consent  to  be  guided  by  me,  I  am  no  longer  his 
guide  ;  I  am  free.  If  one  will  not  guide  me  any  longer, 
I  am  free  to  seek  one  who  will." 


"  Q.  Does  a  Church  in  the  New  Testament  always 
mean  a  single  congregation  ? 

"  A.  We  believe  it  does  ;  we  do  not  recollect  any  in- 
stance  to  the  contrary. 

"  Q.  What  instance  or  ground  is  there  then  in  the  New 
Testament  for  a  national  Church  ? 

"  A.  Wc  know  none  at  all ;  we  apprehend  it  to  be  a 
merely  political  institution. 

"  Q.  Are  the  three  orders  of  bishops,  priests,  and 
deacons  plainly  described  in  the  New  Testament  ? 

"  A.  We  think  they  are,  and  believe  they  generally 
obtained  in  the  Church  of  the  apostolic  age. 

"  Q.  But  are  you  assured  that  God  designed  the  same 
plan  should  obtain  in  all  Churches,  throughout  all  ages  ? 

"  A.  We  are  not  assured  of  it,  because  we  do  not  know 
it  is  asserted  in  Holy  Writ. 

"  Q.  If  the  plan  were  essential  to  a  Christian  Church, 
what  must  become  of  all  foreign  Reformed  Churches  ? 

"  A.  It  would  follow  they  are  no  part  of  the  Church  of 
Christ :  a  consequence  full  of  shocking  absurdity. 

"  Q.  In  what  age  was  the  divine  right  of  Episcopacy 
first  asserted  in  England  ? 

"  A.  About  the  middle  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign  :  till 
then  all  the  bishops  and  clergj-  in  England  continually 
allowed  and  joined  in  the  ministrations  of  those  who  were 
not  episcopally  oi-dained. 

"  Q.  Must  there  not  be  numberless  accidental  variations 
in  the  government  of  various  Churches  ? 

"  A.  There  must,  in  the  nature  of  things.  As  God 
variously  dispenses  his  gifts  of  nature,  providence,  and 
grace,  both  the  offices  themselves,  and  the  officers  in  each, 
ought  to  be  varied  from  time  to  time. 

"  Q.  Why  is  it  that  there  is  no  determinate  plan  of 
Church  government  appointed  in  Scripture  ? 

"  A.  Without  doubt  because  the  wisdom  of  God  had  a 
regard  to  that  necessary  variety. 

12* 


138 


IIPE  OF  THE 


"  Q.  Was  there  any  thought  of  uniformity  in  the  gov- 
ernment of  all  Churches,  until  the  time  of  Constantine  ? 

".A.  It  is  certain  there  was  not,  nor  would  there  have 
been  then  had  men  consulted  the  word  of  God  only." 

Nothing  therefore  can  be  more  clear,  than  that  Mr. 
Wesley  laid  the  ground  work  of  his  future  proceedings 
after  much  deliberation,  at  this  early  stage  of  his  progress. 
He  felt  that  a  case  of  necessity  had  arisen,  calling  upon 
him  to  provide  a  ministry  and  a  government  for  the  people 
who  had  been  raised  up  ;  a  necessity  M'hich  rested  upon 
the  obvious  alternative,  that  they  must  either  be  furnished 
with  pastors  of  their  own,  or  be  left  without  sufficient  aid 
in  the  affairs  of  their  souls.  This  led  him  closely  to 
examine  the  whole  matter ;  and  he  saw  that  when  the 
authority  of  Scripture  alone  was  referred  to  in  matters  of 
Church  arrangement  and  regulation,  it  enjoined  no  parti- 
cular form  of  administration  as  binding,  but  left  the  appli- 
cation  of  certain  great  and  inviolable  principles  to  the  piety 
and  prudence  of  those  whom  God  might  honour  as  the 
instruments  of  usefulness  to  the  souls  of  men.  Here  he 
took  his  stand;  and  he  proceeded  to  call  forth  preachers,  and 
set  them  apart,  or  ordain  them*  to  the  sacred  office,  and  to 

*  The  act  of  setting  apart  ministers  by  Mr.  Wesley,  but  without 
imposition  of  hands,  is  here  called  their  ordination,  although  that 
term  has  not  been  generally  in  use  among  us  ;  and  may  be  objected 
to  by  those  who  do  not  consider  tliat  imposition  of  hands,  how- 
ever impnssive  as  a  form,  and  in  most  Cliurehes  the  uniform  prac. 
tice,  is  still  but  a  cireumstance,  and  cannot  enter  into  the  essence 
of  ordination.  That  every  religious  society  has  the  power  to  de. 
tormine  the  mode  in  which  "  the  separation"  of  its  ministers  "to 
the  Gospel  of  God"  shall  be  visibly  notified  and  expressed,  will  only 
ba  (juestioned  l)y  llioso  whom  prejudice  and  awrotch(?d  bigotry  have 
brought  under  tlieir  influence.  What  the  body  of  Methodists  now 
practise  in  this  respect,  will,  however,  be  allowed  to  stand  on  clearer 
ground  than  the  proceedings  of  Mr.  Wesley,  who  still  continued  in 
communion  with  t  he  Chni  cli.  It  has  therefore  been  generally  sup. 
posed  that  Mr.  Wesley  did  not  consider  his  appointment  of  preach- 
ers without  imposition  of  hands,  as  an  ordination  to  the  ministry ; 
but  only  as  an  irregular  employment  of  laymen  in  tbe  spiritual 
office  of  merely  expounding  the  Scriptures  in  a  case  of  moral  ne';es. 
sity.  Tliis,  however,  is  not  correct.  They  wore  not  appointed  to 
expound  or  preach  merely,  but  were  solemnly  set  apart  to  tlio  pas. 
toral  office,  as  the  minutes  of  the  Conferences  show  ;  nor  were 
they  regarded  by  him  as  laymen,  except  when  in  common  parlanco 
they  were  distinguished  from  the  clergy  of  the  Church  ;  in  which 


HEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


139 


nlarge  the  work  by  their  means,  under  the  full  conviction 
of  his  acting  under  as  clear  a  Scriptural  authority  as  could 
be  pleaded  by  Churchmen  for  Episcopacy,  by  the  Presby- 
terians  for  Presbytery,  or  by  the  Congregationalists  for 
independency.  Still  he  did  not  go  beyond  the  necessity. 
He  could  make  this  Scriptural  appointment  of  ministers  and 
ordinances,  without  renouncing  communion  with  the  na- 
tional Church,  and  therefore  he  did  not  renounce  it.  In 
these  views  Charles  Wesley  too,  who  was  at  every  one  of  the 
early  conferences,  concurred  with  him  ;  and  if  he  thought 
somewhat  differently  on  these  points  afterward,  it  was 
Charles  who  departe4  from  first  principles,  not  John.  So 
much  for  the  accuracy  of  Dr.  Whitehead,  who  constructed 
his  Life  of  the  tw.^  brothers  upon  just  the  opposite  opinion  ! 

case  he  would  have  called  any  dissenting  minister  a  layman.  The 
first  extract  from  the  minutes  of  the  conferences  above  given,  suffi- 
ciently shows  that  as  to  the  Church  of  Christ  at  large,  and  as  to  his 
own  societies,  he  regarded  the  preachers  when  fully  devoted  to  the 
work,  not  as  laymen,  but  as  spiritual  men,  &nd  mi nisters ;  men,  as  he 
says,  "  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost,"  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  who 
after  trial  were  ordained  to  that  and  other  branches  of  the  pastoral 
office.  In  his  sketch  of  the  origin  of  church  government  in  that  extract 
he  clearly  had  in  view  the  conformity  between  what  had  taken  place 
in  his  own  case,  and  that  which  must,  in  a  great  number  of  instances, 
have  occurred  in  the  earliest  periods  of  Christianity  ;  and  whilst  he 
evidently  refers  to  himself  as  the  father  and  bishop  of  the  whole  of  the 
societies,  he  tacitly  compareshis  "  assistants"  to  the  ancient  "  presby- 
ters," and  his  "  helpers"  to  the  ancient  "  deacons."  In  point  of  fact,  so 
ftilly  did  he  consider  himself  even  in  1747,  (whether  consistently  or 
not,  as  a  Churchman,  let  others  determine,  I  speak  only  to  the  fact,) 
as  setting  apart  or  ordaining  to  the  ministry,  that  he  appears  to  have 
had  thoughts  of  adding  imposition  of  hands  to  his  usual  mode  of  ordi- 
nation, which  was  preceded  by  fasting  and  private  prayer,  and  con- 
sisted of  public  examination,  prayer,  and  appointment ;  and  he  only 
declines  this  for  prudential  reasons.  "Why,"  says  he,  "  do  we  not  use 
more  form  in  receivinganew  labourer  ?  1.  Because  there  is  something 
of  stateliness  in  it,  and  we  would  bo  littb  and  inconsiderable.  2.  Be- 
caus3  we  would  not  tnake  haste  :  we  desire  barely  to  follow  providence 
as  it  gradually  opens."  (Minutes  of  1~47 .)  Even  this  form  therefore 
was  regarded  as  what  might  in  other  circumstances  be  required.  The 
bearing  of  thes3  remarks  upon  some  future  ordinations  of  Mr.Wesley 
by  imposition  of  hands,  will  be  pointed  out  in  its  proper  place.* 

[•  Among  the  American  Methodists,  ordination,  by  imposition  of 
hands,  has  been  unifonnly  practised  from  the  time  of  the  organiza 
tion  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Ciiurch  in  the  year  1784.  Our  forms 
of  ordination  were  prepared  by  Mr.  Wesley  himself,  and  are  eub 
stantially  the  s  ime  as  those  used  in  the  Church  of  England,  and  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  this  country. — American  Edit.] 


140 


LIFE  OF  THE 


The  discipline  which  Mr.  Wesley  maintained  in  tho 
societies,  was  lenient  and  long-suffering ;  but  where  there 
was  an  evil  at  the  root,  he  had  an  unsparing  hand.  In 
March,  1746,  he  came  to  Nottingham,  and  observes,  « I 
had  long  doubted  what  it  was  which  hindered  the  work  of 
God  here.  But  upon  inquiry  the  case  was  plain.  So  many 
of  the  society  were  either  triflers,  or  disorderly  walkers, 
that  the  blessing  of  God  could  not  rest  upon  them.  So  I 
made  short  work  by  cutting  off  all  such  at  a  stroke,  and 
leaving  only  that  little  handful,  who,  as  far  as  caald  be 
judged,  were  really  in  earnest  to  save  their  souls.' 

At  Wednesbury  and  Birmingham  he  found  that  some 
Antinomian  teachers,  the  offspring  "of  that  seed  which  be- 
fore  the  recent  revival  of  religion  had  been  sown  in  various 
parts  of  the  country,  and  who,  in  that  concern  about  spirit- 
ual  things  which  now  prevailed,  began  more  zealously  to 
bestir  themselves  to  mislead  and  destroy  the  souls  of  men, 
under  pretence  of  preaching  a  purer  Gospel,  had  troubled 
the  societies.  By  personal  conversation  with  some  of  these 
teachers,  in  the  presence  of  the  people,  he  drew  out  the 
odious  extent  to  which  they  carried  their  notions  of"  Chris- 
tian Uberty  ;"  and  thus  took  an  effectual  method  of  expos- 
ing  and  confuting  the  deadly  error. 

Upon  his  return  to  London,  it  appeared  that  certain 
pretended  prophets  had  appeared  in  the  metropoUs,  and  had 
excited  the  attention  of  many.  He  gratified  his  curiosity 
by  going  to  visit  one  of  them,  and  with  good-humoured 
sarcasm  observes,  that  as  "  he  aimed  at  talking  Latin,  and 
could  not,  he  plainly  showed  that  he  did  not  understand  his 
own  calHng."  Sober  Scotland  has  in  our  own  day  exhibited 
a  similar  fanaticism  ;  and  the  gift  of  tongues,  pretended  by 
some  persons  there,  appears  to  have  proved  quite  as  un- 
satisfactory an  evidence  of  a  Divine  commission,  as  in  this 
case.  In  visiting  Newgate  he  found  a  penitent  and  hopeful 
malefactor ;  and  his  journal  affords  a  specimen  of  that 
originality  of  remark,  whicli  peculiar  cases,  often  perplex- 
ing to  others,  called  forth  from  him.  "  A  real,  deep  work 
of  God  seemed  to  be  already  begun  in  his  soul.  Perhaps  by 
driving  him  too  fast,  Satan  has  driven  him  to  God  ;  to  that 
repentance  which  shall  never  be  repented  of."  When  he 
subsequently  visited  Dr.  Dodd  under  condemnation,  he  is 
reported  to  have  replied  to  his  apologies  for  receiving  him 


REV,  JOHN  WESLET. 


141 


in  the  condemned  cell,  "  Courage,  brother  perhaps  God 
saw  that  nothing  else  would  do." 

Bristol,  Wales,  Devonshire,  and  Cornwall,  occupied 
Mr.  Wesley's  attention  during  the  summer  of  1746,  and 
London,  Bristol,  and  the  places  adjacent,  for  the  remainder 
of  the  year.  About  this  time  also  he  received  various 
letters  from  the  aniiy  abroad,  giving  an  account  of  the 
progress  of  religion  among  the  soldiers,  and  of  the  brave 
demeanour  in  battle  of  many  of  their  Methodist  comrades. 
These  accounts  appear  to  have  given  him  great  satisfac- 
tion ;  as  showing  the  power  of  reUgion  in  new  circum- 
stances, aud  as  affording  him  an  answer  to  his  enemies, 
who  asserted  that  his  doctrines  had  the  effect  of  making 
men  dastardly,  negligent  of  duty,  and  disloj  al.  In  the 
early  part  of  the  year  1747,  we  find  him  braving  the  snows 
of  February  in  Lincolnshire  ;  and  in  March  he  reached 
Newcastle,  to  supply  the  absence  of  his  brother  from  that 
important  station. 

Among  other  excellencies  possessed  by  this  great  man, 
he  was  fond  of  smoothing  the  path  of  knowledge,  to  the 
diffusion  of  which  he  devoted  much  attention,  and  for 
which  end  he  pubhshed  several  compendiums  and  brief 
treatises  on  its  most  important  branches.  In  this  respect 
also  he  was  foremost  to  tread  in  a  path  which  has  been  of 
late  years  vigorously  pursued,  and  must  be  reckoned  as 
one  of  the  leaders  of  that  class  of  wise  and  benevolent  men, 
who  have  exerted  themselves  to  extend  the  benefits  of  use- 
ful information  from  the  privileged  orders  of  society,  into 
the  middle  and  lower  classes.  "  This  week,"  says  he,  "  I 
read  over  with  some  young  men,  a  Compendium  of  Rheto- 
ric, and  a  System  of  Ethics.  I  see  not  why  a  man  of 
tolerable  understanding  may  not  in  six  months'  time,  learn 
more  of  solid  philosophy  than  is  commonly  learned  at  Ox- 
ford in  four  (perhaps  seven)  years." 

On  his  return  from  his  labours  in  the  north  of  England, 
he  called  at  Manchester,  which  he  had  formerly  several 
times  visited  in  order  to  take  counsel  with  his  college  friend 
Clayton,  and  Dr.  Byrom,  and  had  preached  in  the  churches. 
He  was  now  seen  there  in  a  new  character.  The  small 
house  which  was  occupied  by  the  society  could  not  contain 
a  tenth  part  of  the  people,  and  he  therefore  walked  to  Sal- 
ford  Cross. .  "  A  numberless  crowd  of  people  partly  ran 


142 


LIFE  OF  THB 


before,  partly  followed  after  me.  I  thought  it  best  not  to 
sing,  but  looking  round,  asked  abruptly,  '  Why  do  you  look 
as  if  you  had  never  seen  me  before  ?  Many  of  you  have 
seen  me  in  the  neighbouring  church,  both  preaching  and 
administering  the  sacrament.'  I  then  gave  out  the  text, 
Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  he  may  he  found  ;  call  upon  him 
while  he  is  near.  None  interrupted  at  all,  or  made  any 
disturbance,  till,  as  I  was  drawing  to  a  conclusion,  a  big 
man  thrust  in,  with  three  or  four  more,  and  bade  them 
bring  out  the  engine.  Our  friends  desired  me  to  remove 
into  a  yard  just  by,  which  I  did,  and  concluded  in  peace." 

From  the  north  he  proceeded  through  Nottingham  and 
Staffordshire  to  London,  and  from  thence  to  the  west  of 
England.  The  influence  which  his  calm  courage  often 
gave  him  over  mobs  was  remarkably  shown  on  this  jour- 
ney. "Within  two  miles  of  Plymouth,  one  overtook  and 
informed  us,  that  the  night  before,  all  the  Dock  was  in  an 
uproar ;  and  that  a  constable  endeavouring  to  keep  the 
peace,  was  beaten  and  much  hurt.  As  we  were  entering 
the  Dock,  one  met  us,  and  desired  we  would  go  the  back 
way.  '  For,'  said  he,  '  there  are  thousands  of  people  wait- 
ing  about  Mr.  Hyde's  door.'  We  rode  up  straight  into  the 
midst  of  them.  They  saluted  us  with  three  huzzas ;  after 
which  I  alighted,  took  several  of  them  by  the  hand,  and 
began  to  talk  with  them.  I  would  gladly  have  passed  an 
hour  among  them,  and  believe  if  I  had,  there  had  been  an 
end  of  the  riot ;  but  the  day  being  far  spent  (for  it  was  past 
nine  o'clock)  I  was  persuaded  to  go  in.  The  mob  then 
recovered  their  spirits,  and  fought  valiantly  with  the  doors 
and  windows.  But  about  ten  they  were  weary,  and  went 
every  man  to  his  own  home.  The  next  day  I  preached  at 
four,  and  then  spoke  severally  to  a  part  of  the  society. 
About  six  ill  the  evening  I  went  to  the  place  where  I 
preached  the  last  year.  A  little  before  we  had  ended  the 
hymn  came  a  lieutenant,  a  famous  man,  with  his  retinue 
of  soldiers,  drummers,  and  mob.  When  the  drums  ceased, 
a  gentleman-barber  began  to  speak  ;  but  his  voice  was 
quickly  drowned  in  the  shouts  of  the  multitude,  who  grew 
fiercer  and  fiercer  as  their  numbers  increased.  After  wait- 
ing  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  perceiving  the  violence  of 
the  rabble  still  increasing,  I  walked  down  into  the  thickest 
of  them,  and  took  the  captain  of  the  mob  by  the  hand.  He 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


143 


immediately  said,  '  Sir,  I  will  see  you  safe  home.  Sir,  no 
man  shall  touch  you.  Gentlemen,  stand  off.  Give  back. 
I  will  knock  the  first  man  down  that  touches  him.'  We 
walked  on  in  great  peace  ;  my  conductor  every  now  and 
then  stretching  out  his  neck,  (he  was  a  very  tall  man,) 
and  looking  round,  to  see  if  any  behaved  rudely,  till  we 
came  to  Mr.  Hyde's  door.  We  then  parted  in  much  love. 
I  stayed  in  the  street  near  half  an  hour  after  he  was  gone, 
talking  with  the  people,  who  had  now  forgot  their  anger, 
and  went  away  in  high  good  humour." 

In  CornM-all  we  have  a  specimen  of  his  prompt  and 
faithful  habits  of  discipline. 

"  Wednesday  8  :  I  preached  at  St.  Ives,  then  at  Sithney. 
On  Thursday  the  stewards  of  all  the  societies  met.  I  now 
dihgently  inquired,  what  exhorters  there  were  in  each  socie 
ty  ?  Whether  they  had  gifts  meet  for  the  work  ?  Whether 
their  lives  were  eminently  holy  ?  And  whether  there  appear- 
ed any  fruit  of  their  labour?  I  found  upon  the  whole,  1. 
That  there  were  no  fewer  than  eighteen  exhorters  in  the 
county  :  2.  That  three  of  these  had  no  gifts  at  all  for  the 
work,  neither  natural,  nor  supernatural :  3.  That  a  fourth 
nad  neither  gifts  nor  grace,  but  was  a  dull,  empty,  self- 
conceited  man :  4.  That  a  fit\h  had  considerable  gifts,  but 
had  evidently  made  shipwreck  of  the  grace  of  God.  These 
therefore  I  determined  immediately  to  set  aside,  and  advise 
our  societies  not  to  hear  them.  5.  That  J.  B.,  A.  L.,  and 
J.  W.,  had  gifts  and  grace,  and  had  been  much  blessed  in 
the  work.  Lastly,  That  the  rest  might  be  helpful  when 
there  was  no  preacher,  in  their  own  or  the  neighbouring 
societies,  provided  they  would  take  no  step  without  the 
advice  of  those  who  had  more  experience  than  themselves." 

In  August  he  visited  Ireland  for  the  first  time.  Metho- 
dism had  been  introduced  into  Dublin  by  Mr.  Williams, 
one  of  the  preachers,  whose  ministry  !iad  been  attended 
with  great  success,  so  that  a  considerable  society  had  been 
already  formed.  Mr.  Wesley  was  allowed  to  preach  once 
at  St.  Mary's,  "  to  as  gay  and  senseless  a  congregation," 
he  observes,  "as  I  ever  saw."  This  was  not,  however, 
permitted  a  second  time ;  and  he  occupied  the  spacious  yard 
of  the  meeting  house,  both  in  the  mornings  and  evenings, 
preaching  to  large  congregations  of  both  poor  and  rich. 
.\mcig  his  hearers  he  had  also  the  ministers  of  various 


144 


UTE  OP  TirE 


denominations.  The  state  of  the  Catholics  excited  his 
peculiar  sympathy ;  and  as  he  could  have  little  access  to 
them  by  preaching,  he  published  an  address  specially  for 
their  use.  In  his  journal  he  makes  a  remark  on  the  reli- 
gious  neglect  of  this  class  of  our  fellow  subjects  by  Pro- 
testants, which  contains  a  reproof,  the  force  of  which  has. 
unhappily,  extended  to  our  own  times  : — "  Nor  is  it  aiiy 
wonder,  that  those  who  are  born  Papists,  generally  livc; 
and  die  such ;  when  the  Protestants  can  find  no  better 
ways  to  convert  them,  than  penal  laws  and  acts  of  parlia- 
ment." The  chief  perplexities  which  Ireland  has  occa- 
sioned to  the  empire  are  to  be  traced  to  this  neglect ;  and 
the  dangers  which  have  often  sprung  up  to  the  state  from 
that  quarter,  have  been,  and  continue  to  be,  its  appropriate 
punishment.  Mr.  Wesley's  visit,  at  this  time,  to  Ireland 
was  short ;  but  he  requested  his  brother  to  succeed  him. 
Mr.  Charles  Wesley,  therefore,  accompanied  by  another 
preacher,  Mr.  Charles  Perronet,  one  of  the  sons  of  the 
venerable  vicar  of  Shoreham,  arrived  there  in  September. 
A  persecution  had  broken  out  against  the  infant  society 
in  Dublin,  and  "  the  first  news,"  says  Mr.  Charles  Wes- 
ley, "  we  heard  was,  that  the  little  flock  stood  fast  in  the 
storm  of  persecution,  which  arose  as  soon  as  my  brother 
left  them.  The  popish  mob  broke  open  their  room,  and 
destroyed  all  before  them.  Some  of  them  are  sent  to 
Newgate,  others  bailed.  What  will  be  the  event  we  know 
not,  till  we  see  whether  the  grand  jury  will  find  the  bill." 
He  afterward  states  that  the  grand  jury  threw  out  tb<5 
bill,  and  thus  gave  up  the  Methodists  to  the  fury  of  a  licen 
tious  mob.  "  God  has  called  me  to  suffer  aflliction  with 
his  people.  I  began  my  ministry  with,  '  Comfort  ye, 
comfort  ye  my  people,'  &c.  I  met  the  society  and  the 
Lord  knit  our  hearts  together  in  love  stronger  than  death. 
We  both  wept  and  rejoiced  for  the  consolation.  God  hath 
sent  me,  I  trust,  to  confirm  these  souls,  and  to  keep  them 
together  in  the  present  distress."  (Whitehead'' s  Life.) 

Mr.  Charles  Wesley  spent  the  winter  in  Dublin,  being 
daily  employed  in  preaching,  and  visiting  the  people.  In 
February  he  made  an  excursion  into  the  coujitry,  whci'e  a 
few  preachers  were  already  labouring,  and,  in  some  places, 
with  great  success.  Thus  was  the  first  active  and  sys- 
tematic agency  for  the  conversion  of  the  neglected  people 


KEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


145 


of  Ireland  commenced  by  the  Methodists  ;  and,  till  of  late 
years,  it  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  they  were  left  to 
labour  almost  alone.  From  that  time,  however,  not  only 
was  the  spirit  of  religion  revived  in  many  Protestant  parts 
of  the  country,  and  many  Papists  converted  to  the  truth, 
but  the  itinerant  plan,  which  was  there  adopted  as  in 
England,  enabled  the  preachers  to  visit  a  great  number  of 
places  where  the  Protestants  were  so  few  in  numbers  as 
not  to  be  able  to  keep  up  regular  worship,  or  to  make  head, 
when  left  to  themselves,  against  popish  influence.  A  bar- 
rier was  thus  erected  against  the  farther  encroachments  of 
popery  ;  and  the  light  was  kept  burning  in  districts  Avliere 
it  would  otherwise  have  been  entirely  extinguished.  The 
influence  of  the  Methodist  societies,  would,  how  ever,  have 
been  much  more  extensive,  had  not  the  large  emigrations 
which  have  been  almost  constantly  setting  in  from  Ireland 
to  America,  borne  away  a  greater  number  of  their  mem- 
bers  in  proportion  than  those  of  any  other  community. 
Mr.  Charles  Wesley  spent  part  of  the  year  1748  in  Ire- 
land,  and  preached  in  several  of  the  chief  towns,  and  espe-. 
cially  at  Cork,  with  great  unction  and  success. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  notices  of  the  journeys  and  labours  of  these  mde- 
fatigable  ministers  of  Christ,  given  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, afford  but  a  specimen  of  the  manner  in  which  the  foun- 
dations  of  the  Methodist  connection  were  carried  out  and 
firmly  laid.  Nor  were  the  preachers  under  their  direction, 
though  labouring  in  more  limited  districts  of  countrj%  scarce- 
ly less  laboriously  employed.  At  this  period  one  of  them 
writes  from  Lancashire  to  Mr.  Wesley  : — "  Many  doors 
are  opened  for  preaching  in  these  parts,  but  cannot  be 
supplied  for  want  of  preachers.  1  think  some  one  should 
be  sent  to  assist  me,  otherwise  we  shall  lose  ground.  My 
circuit  requires  me  to  travel  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
in  two  weeks ;  during  which  time  I  preach  publicly  thirty- 
four  times,  beside  meeting  the  societies,  visiting  the  sick, 
and  transacting  other  aflfairs."  (Whitehead's  Life.) 

Of  the  preachers  some  were  engaged  in  business,  and 
preached  at  their  leisure  in  their  own  neighbourhoods : 
13 


146 


LIFE  OF  THE 


but  still,  zealous  for  the  salvation  of  men,  they  often  took 
considerable  journeys.  Others  gave  themselves  up,  for 
a  time,  to  more  extended  labours,  and  then  settled  :  but 
the  third  class,  Avho  had  become  the  regular  "assistants" 
and  "  helpers"  of  Mr.  Wesley,  were  devoted  wholly  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry ;  and,  after  a  period  of  probation, 
and  a  scrutiny  into  their  character  and  talents  at  the  an- 
nual conferences,  were  admitted,  by  solemn  prayer,  into 
what  was  called  "full  connection,"  which,  as  we  have 
stated,  was  their  ordination.  No  provision  was,  however, 
made  at  this  early  period  for  their  maintenance.  They 
took  neither  "purse  nor  scrip ;"  they  cast  themselves  upon 
the  providence  of  God,  and  the  hospitaUty  and  kindness 
of  the  societies,  and  were  by  them,  like  the  primitive 
preachers,  "  helped  forward  after  a  godly  sort,"*  on  their 
journeys,  to  open  new  places,  and  to  instruct  those  for 
whose  souls  "no  man  cared."  It  might  be  as  truly  said 
of  them  as  of  the  first  propagators  of  Christianity,  they 
had  "  no  certain  dwelling  place."  Under  the  severity  of 
labour,  and  the  wretched  accommodations  to  which  they 
cheerfully  submitted,  many  a  fine  constitution  was  broken, 
and  premature  death  was  often  induced. 

The  annual  conferences  have  been  mentioned ;  and 
that  a  correct  view  may  be  taken  of  the  doctrines  wliich 
at  those  meetings  it  was  agreed  should  be  taught  in  the 
societies,  it  will  be  necessary  to  go  back  to  their  com- 
mencement. At  first  every  doctrine  was  fully  sifted  in 
successive  "  Conversations,"  and  the  great  principles  of  a 
godly  discipline  were  drawn  out  into  special  regulations, 
as  circumstances  appeared  to  require.  After  the  body 
had  acquired  greater  maturity,  these  doctrinal  discussions 
became  less  frequent ;  a  standard  and  a  test  being  ulti- 
mately  established  in  a  select  number  of  Mr.  Wesley's 
doctrinal  sermons,  and  in  his  "  Notes  on  the  New  Testa- 
ment."  The  free  and  pious  spirit  in  which  these  inquiries 
were  entered  into  was  strikingly  marked  at  the  first  con- 
ferences, in  the  commencing  exhortation  : — "  Let  us  all 
pray  for  a  willingness  to  receive  light,  to  know  of  every 
doctrine  whr^ther  it  be  of  God."    The  widest  principle  of 

*  The  want  of  a  provision  for  thoir  wives  and  families,  in  the 
early  periods  of  Methodism,  caused  the  loss  of  many  eminent 
preachcfE,  who  wore  obliged  to  settle  in  independent  congregations. 


BEV.  JOHN  WKSLET. 


147 


Christian  liberty  was  also  laid  down,  as  suited  to  the  infant 
state  of  a  society  which  was  but  just  beginning  to  take  its 
ground,  and  to  assume  the  appearance  of  order. 

"  Q.  3.  How  far  does  each  of  us  agree  to  submit  to  the 
judgment  of  the  majority  ? 

•'  A.  In  speculative  things,  each  can  only  submit  so  far 
as  his  judgment  shall  be  convinced ;  in  every  practical 
point,  each  will  submit  so  far  as  he  can,  without  w  ounding 
nis  conscience. 

"  Q.  4.  Can  a  Christian  submit  any  farther  than  tliis  to 
any  man,  or  number  of  men,  upon  earth  1 

"  A.  It  is  plain  he  cannot ;  either  to  bishop,  convoca- 
tion, or  general  council.  And  this  is  that  grand  principle 
of  private  judgment  on  which  all  the  Reformers  at  home 
and  abroad  proceeded  :  'Eveiy  man  must  judge  for  him- 
self ;  because  ever\-  man  must  give  an  account  of  himself 
to  God.'  "  (Minutes.) 

Never,  it  may  be  affirmed,  was  the  formation  of  any 
Christian  society  marked  by  the  recognition  of  principles 
more  Uberal,  or  more  fully  in  the  spirit  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. 

To  some  of  the  doctrinal  conversations  of  the  first  con- 
ferences, it  is  necessary  to  refer,  in  order  to  mark  those 
pecuharities  of  opinion  which  distinguish  the  Wesleyan 
Methodists.  It  is,  however,  proper  to  observe  that  the 
clergj  men  and  others  who  thus  assembled  did  not  meet  to 
draw  up  formal  articles  of  faith.  They  admitted  those  of 
the  Church  of  England  ;  and  their  principal  object  was  to 
ascertain  how  several  of  the  doctrines  relative  to  experi- 
mental  Christianity,  which  they  found  stated  in  substance 
in  those  articles,  and  farther  illustrated  in  the  Homilies, 
were  to  be  understood  and  explained.  This  light  they 
sought  from  mutual  discussion,  in  which  every  thing  was 
brought  to  the  standard  of  the  word  of  inspired  truth. 

Their  first  subject  was  ji/stification,  which  they  describe 
with  great  simplicity ;  not  loading  it  with  epithets,  as  in 
the  systematic  schools,  nor  perplexing  it  by  verbal  criticism. 
It  is  defined  to  be  "pardon,"  or  "leccplion  into  -God's 
favour;"  a  view  which  is  amply  supported  by  several 
explicit  passages  of  Scripture,  in  which  the  terms,  "  par 
don,"  "  forgiveness,"  and  "  remission  of  sins,"  are  used 
convcrtibly  v  ith  the  term  "justification."  To  be  "  received 


149 


LIFE  OF  THE 


into  God's  favour,"  according  to  these  Minutes,  is  neces- 
sarily  connected  with  the  act  of  forgiveness,  and  is  the 
immediate  and  inseparable  consequence  of  that  gracious 
procedure.  The  same  may  be  said  of  adoption ;  which,  in 
some  theological  schemes,  is  made  to  flow  from  regenera- 
tion.  while  the  latter  is  held  to  commence  previously  to 
justification.  In  Mr.  Wesley's  views  adoption,  as  being 
a  relative  change,  is  supposed  to  be  necessarily  involved 
in  justification,  or  the  pardon  of  sin  ;  and  regeneration  to 
flow  from  both,  as  an  inward,  moral  change  arising  from  the 
powerful  and  efficacious  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  who  is  in 
that  moment  given  to  believers.*  To  their  definition  of 
justification,  the  Minutes,  add,  "  It  is  such  a  state  that,  if 
we  continue  therein,  we  shall  be  finally  saved ;"  thus 
making  final  salvation  conditional,  and  justification  a  state 
which  may  be  forfeited.  All  wilful  sin  was  held  to  imply 
a  casting  away  of  vital  faith,  and  thereby  to  bring  a  man 
under  wrath  and  condemnation  ;  "  nor  is  it  possible  for 
him  to  have  justifying  faith  again  without  previously  re- 
penting."  They  also  agree  that  faith  is  "  the  condition  of 
justification ;"  adding,  as  the  proof,  "  for  every  one  that 
believeth  not  is  condemned,  and  every  one  who  believes 
is  justified."  In  Mr.  Wesley's  sermon  on  justification  by 
faith,  the  office  of  faith  in  justifying  is  thus  more  largely 
set  forth  : — 

"  Surely  the  difficulty  of  assenting  to  the  proposition, 
that  faith  is  the  only  condition  of  justification,  must  arise 
from  not  understanding  it.  We  mean  thereby  thus  much, 
that  it  is  the  only  thing,  without  which  no  one  is  justified  ; 
the  only  thing  that  is  immediately,  indispensably,  absolute- 
ly  requisite  in  order  to  pardon.  As  on  the  one  hand, 
though  a  man  should  have  every  thing  else,  without  faith, 
yet  he  cannot  be  justified  ;  so  on  the  other,  though  he  be 
supposed  to  want  every  thing  else,  yet  if  he  hath  faith,  he 
cannot  but  be  justified.  For  suppose  a  sinner  of  any  kind 
or  degree,  in  a  full  sense  of  his  total  ungodliness,  of  his 

*  The  connection  of  favour  and  adoption  with  pardon,  arises  from 
the  very  nature  of  that  act.  Pardon,  or  forgiveness,  is  release  from 
the  penalties  and  forfeitures  incurred  by  transgression.  Of  those 
penalties,  the  loss  of  God's  favour,  and  of  filial  relation  to  him  was 
among  the  most  weighty ; — pardon,  therefore,  in  its  nature,  or  at  least 
in  its  natural  consequences,  implies  a  restoration  to  the  blessings  for 
feited,  for  else  the  penalty  would  in  part  remain  in  force 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


149 


utter  unability  to  think,  speak,  or  do  good,  and  his  ab- 
solute nieetness  for  hell  fire ;  suppose,  I  say,  this  sinner, 
helpless  and  hopeless,  casts  himself  whol}'  on  the  mercy 
of  God  in  Christ,  (which  indeed  he  cannot  do  but  by  the 
grace  of  God.)  who  can  doubt  but  he  is  forgiven  in  that 
moment  ?  Who  will  affirm  that  any  more  is  indispensably 
required,  before  that  sinner  can  be  justified  ? 

"  And  at  what  tijiie  soever  a  sinner  thus  beUeves,  be  it 
in  his  early  childhood,  in  the  strength  of  his  years,  or 
when  he  is  old  and  hoaiy-headed,  God  justifieth  that  un- 
godly one ;  God,  for  the  sake  of  his  Son,  pardoneth  and 
absolveth  him,  who  had  in  him,  till  then,  no  good  thing. 
Repentance,  indeed,  God  had  given  him  before  ;  but  that 
repentance  was  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  deep  sense  of 
the  want  of  all  good,  and  the  presence  of  all  evil.  And 
whatever  good  he  hath  or  doeth  from  that  hour,  w  hen  he 
first  believes  in  God  through  Christ,  faith  does  not  Jind,  but 
bring.  This  is  the  fruit  of  faith.  First,  the  tree  is  good, 
and  then  the  fruit  is  good  also." 

Mr.  Wesley's  views  of  repentance  in  this  passage  will 
also  be  noted.  Here,  as  at  the  first  conference,  he  insists 
that  repentance,  which  is  conviction  of  sin,  and  works  meet 
for  repentance,  go  before  justifying  faith  ;  but  he  held,  with 
the  Church  of  England,  that  all  works,  before  justification, 
had  "  the  nature  of  sin  ;"  and  that,  as  they  had  no  root  in 
the  love  of  God,  which  can  only  arise  from  a  persuasion 
of  his  being  reconciled  to  us,  they  could  not  constitute  a 
moral  worthiness  preparatory-  to  pardon.  That  a  true 
repentance  springs  from  the  grace  of  God  is  certain  ;  but 
whatever  fruits  it  may  bring  forth,  it  changes  not  man's 
relation  to  God.  He  is  a  sinner,  and  is  justified  as  such ; 
"  for  it  is  not  a  saint  but  a  sinner  that  is  forgiven,  and  under 
the  notion  of  a  sinner."  God  justifieth  the  ungodly,  not 
the  godly.  (Sermons.)  Repentance,  according  to  his  state- 
ment, is  necessary  to  true  faith ;  but  faith  alone  is  the 
direct  and  immediate  instrument  of  pardon. 

Those  views  oi faith  (of  that  faith  by  which  a  man,  thus 
penitent,  comes  to  God  through  Christ)  which  are  express- 
ed in  the  Minutes  of  this  first  conference,  deserves  a  more 
particular  consideration.  Here,  as  in  defining  justifica- 
tion, the  language  of  the  schools,  and  of  systematic  philo- 
snphising  divines,  is  laid  aside,  and  a  simple  enunciation 
13" 


150 


tIFB  OF  THE 


is  made  of  the  doctrine  of  the  New  Testament.  "  Faith 
in  general  is  a  divine,  supernatural  elenclws,  [evidence  or 
conviction]  of  things  not  seen,  that  is,  of  past,  future,  or 
spiritual  things.  It  is  a  spiritual  sight  of  God,  and  the 
things  of  God."  {Minutes.) 

In  this  description,  faith  is  distinguished  from  mere 
belief,  or  an  intellectual  conviction  which  the  consideration 
of  the  evidences  of  the  truth  of  Scripture  may  produce, 
and  yet  lead  to  no  practical  or  saving  consequence ;  and 
that  there  may  be  a  sincere  and  undoubting  belief  of  the 
truth,  without  producing  any  saving  effect,  is  a  point  which 
our  very  consciousness  may  sufficiently  assure  us  of; 
although,  in  order  to  support  a  particular  theory  on  the 
subject  of  faith,  this  has  sometimes  been  denied.  Trust 
is  constantly  implied  in  the  Scriptural  account  of  accept- 
able and  saving  faith,  and  this  is  the  sense  in  which  it 
was  evidently  taken  in  the  above  definition  ;  for  its  pro- 
duction in  the  heart  is  referred  to  supernatural  agency, 
and  it  is  made  to  result  from,  and  to  be  essentially  con- 
nected with,  a  demonstration  of  spiritual  things, — such  a 
conviction,  wrought  by  the  teaching  Spirit,  as  produces 
not  merely  a  full  persuasion  but  a  full  reliance.  Six 
years  before  this  time,  Mr.  Wesley,  in  a  sermon  before 
the  university  of  Oxford,  had  more  at  large  expressed 
the  same  views  as  to  justifying  faith  :  "  Christian  faith  is 
not  only  an  assent  to  the  whole  Gospel  of  Christ,  but  also 
a  full  rehance  on  the  blood  of  Christ ;  a  trust  in  the  merits 
of  his  life,  death,  and  resurrection ;  a  recumbency  upon 
him  as  our  atonement  and  our  life,  as  given  for  us,  and 
living  in  us.  It  is  a  sure  confidence  which  a  man  hath  in 
God  that,  through  the  merits  of  Christ,  his  sins  are  forgiven, 
and  he  reconciled  to  the  favour  of  God ;  and,  in  conse- 
quence hereof,  a  closing  with  him,  and  cleaving  to  him, 
as  our  '  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemp- 
tion,'  or,  in  one  word,  our  salvation."  (Sermons.) 

It  will  however  be  remarked,  that,  in  order  to  support 
his  view  of  the  nature  of  justifying  faith  by  the  authority  of 
the  Church  of  England,  Mr.  Wesley  has  quoted  her  words 
from  the  Homily  on  Salvation  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
above  extract ;  and  he  thereby  involved  the  subject  in  an 
obscurity  which  some  time  afterward  he  detected  and 
acknowledged.    The  incorrectness  of  the  wording  of  the 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLET. 


151 


homily  is  indeed  very  apparent,  although  in  substance  it 
is  sound  and  Scriptural.  When  that  homily  defines  justi- 
fying faith  to  be  "  a  sure  trust  and  confidence  which  a 
man  hath  in  God  that  his  sins  are  forgiven,  and  he  recon- 
ciled to  the  favour  of  God,"  it  is  clear  that,  by  the  founders 
of  the  English  Church,  saving  faith  Avas  regarded  not  as 
mere  belief,  but  as  an  act  of  trust  and  confidence  subsequent 
to  the  discovery  made  to  a  man  of  his  sin  and  danger,  and 
the  fear  and  penitential  sorrow  which  are  thereby  produced. 
The  object  of  that  faith  they  make  to  be  God,  assuredly 
referring  to  God  in  the  exercise  of  his  mercy  through  the 
atonement  and  intercession  of  Christ ;  and  the  trust  and 
confidence  of  which  the  homily  speaks  must  be  therefore 
taken  to  imply  a  distinct  recognition  of  the  merits  of  Christ, 
and  a  full  reliance  upon  them.  So  far  all  is  scripturally 
correct,  although  not  so  fully  expressed  as  could  be  desii'ed. 
That  from  such  a  faith  exercised  in  these  circumstances, 
a  "  confidence,"  taking  the  word  in  the  sense  of  persuasion 
or  assurance,  that  "  a  man's  sins  are  forgiven,  and  he 
reconciled  to  the  favour  of  God,"  certainly /o//ozfs,  is  the 
doctrine  of  Scripture ;  and  the  authority  of  the  homily 
may  therefore  also  be  quoted  in  favour  of  that  view  of 
assurance  at  which  Churchmen  have  so  often  stumbled,  and 
to  which  they  have  so  often  scornfully  referred  as  the 
fanatical  invention  of  modern  sectaries.  There  is,  how- 
ever, an  error  in  the  homily  which  lies  not  in  its  substance 
and  general  intent,  but  in  this,  that  it  appUes  the  same 
terms,  "  trust  and  confidence,"  both  to  God's  mercy  in 
Christ,  which  is  its  proper  object,  and  to  "  the  forgiveness 
of  sins,"  which  is  the  consequence  of  a  sure  trust  and  con- 
fidence in  God  as  exercising  mercy  "  through  Christ," 
because  it  is  that  in  order  to  which  the  trast  or  confidence 
is  exercised.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  either  there  is  an 
error  in  the  latter  part  of  the  statement  itself ;  justifying 
faith  not  being  a  confidence  that  sin  is  forgiven,  which  is 
absurd,  because  it  is  the  condition  previously  required  in 
order  to  the  forgiveness  of  sin ;  or  otherwise,  M'hich  is 
probable,  that  the  term  "  confidence,"  in  the  mind  of  the 
writer  of  the  homily,  was  taken  in  a  different  sense  when 
applied  to  God  the  object  of  trust,  and  to  the  forgiveness 
of  sin  ;  and,  when  referred  to  the  latter,  meant  that  persua- 
sion  of  the  fact  of  being  forgiven  which  must  be  attributed 


152 


LIFE  OF  THE 


to  a  secret  assurance  of  remission  and  acceptance  by  the 
spirit  of  adoption,  and  which  ordinarily  closely  follows,  or 
is  immediately  connected  with,  justifying  faith,  but  which 
is  not  of  its  essence.  But  "  confidence"  in  this  sense 
implies  jilial  confidence,  the  trust  of  a  child,  of  one  already 
passed  into  the  family  of  God,  and  hence  this  is  rather  the 
description  of  the  habitual  faith  of  a  justified  man  than  of 
the  act  by  which  a  sinner  is  justified  and  adopted.  Mr. 
Wesley  therefore  soon  perceived  that  the  definition  of 
justifying  faith  in  this  homily  needed  some  correction, 
and  he  thus  expressed  his  views  in  1747,  in  a  letter  to 
his  brother  : — 

"  Is  justifying  faith  a  sense  of  pardon  ?  Negatur."  It 
is  denied. 

"  By  justifying  faith  I  mean  that  faith  which  whosoever 
hath  not,  is  under  the  wrath  and  the  curse  of  God.  By  a 
sense  of  pardon  I  mean  a  distinct,  explicit  assurance  that 
my  sins  are  forgiven. 

"  I  allow,  1.  That  there  is  such  an  explicit  assurance. 

2.  That  it  is  the  common  privilege  of  real  Christians. 

3.  That  it  is  the  common  Christian  faith,  which  purifieth 
the  heart,  and  overcometh  the  world."  *  *  *  * 

"  But  the  assertion,  that  justifying  faith  is  a  sense  of 
pardon,  is  contrary  to  reason  :  it  is  flatly  absurd.  For  how 
can  a  sense  of  our  having  received  pardon,  be  the  condition 
of  our  receiving  it  ? 

"  But  does  jiot  our  Church  give  this  account  of  justify, 
ing  faith  1  I  am  sure  she  does  of  saving  or  Christian  faith  : 
I  think  she  does  of  justifying  faith  too.  But  to  the  law 
and  to  the  testimony.  All  men  may  err :  but  the  word 
of  the  Lord  shall  stand  for  ever." 

Mr.  Wesley,  however,  still  regarded  that  truat  in  the 
merits  of  Christ's  death,  in  which  justifying  faith  fconsists, 
as  resulting  from  a  supernatural  conviction  that  Christ 
"  Icmed  me"  as  an  individual,  and  gave  himself  for  me."  In 
this  he  placed  the  proof  that  fiiith  is  "  the  gift  of  God,"  a 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  being  produced  along  with  this 
conviction,  or  immediately  following  it.  Fi'om  this  super- 
natural conviction,  not  only  that  God  was  in  Christ 
"  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself,"  but  that  he  died 
"  for  my  sins,"  there  follows  an  entire  committal  of  the 
case  of  (he  soul  to  the  merits  of  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  in 


EEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


153 


an  act  of  trust ; — in  that  moment,  he  held,  God  pardons 
and  absolves  him  that  so  believes  or  trusts,  and  that  this, 
his  pardon  or  justification,  is  then  witnessed  to  him  by  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Nor  can  a  clearer  or  simpler  view  of  stating 
this  great  subject,  in  accordance  with  the  Scriptures,  be 
well  conceived.  The  state  of  a  penitent  is  one  of  various 
degrees  of  doubt,  but  all  painful.  He  questions  the  love 
of  God  to  him,  from  a  deep  sense  of  his  sin,  although  he 
may  allow  that  he  loves  all  the  world  beside.  Before  he 
can  fully  rely  on  Christ,  and  the  promises  of  the  Gospel, 
he  must  have  heightened  and  more  influential  views  of 
God's  love  in  Christ,  and  of  his  own  interest  in  it.  It  is 
the  oflice  of  the  Holy  Spirit  "  to  take  of  the  things  of 
Christ,  and  show  them"  to  the  humble  mind.  This  office 
of  the  Spirit  agrees  with  that  sXetj^oj  or  "  divine  convic- 
tion," of  which  Mr.  Wesley  speaks,  and  w  hich  shows, 
with  the  power  of  demonstrative  evidence,  the  love  of 
Christ  to  the  individual  himself  in  the  intention  of  his 
sacrifice.  From  this  results  an  entire  and  joyful  acquies- 
cence with  the  appointed  method  of  salvation,  and  a  fuU 
reliance  upon  it,  followed,  according  to  the  promise  of 
Scripture,  with  actual  forgiveness,  and  the  cheering  testi- 
mony  of  the  Spirit  of  adoption.  Of  this  faith  he  allowed 
different  degrees,  yet  the  lowest  degree  saving ;  and  also 
difl'erent  degrees  of  assurance,  and  therefore  of  joy.  He 
was  careful  to  avoid  binding  the  work  of  the  Spirit  to  one 
loile,  and  to  distinguish  between  that  peace  which  flows 
from  a  comfortable  persuasion  of  '•  acceptance  through 
Christ,"  and  those  higher  joys  which  may  be  produced  by 
that  more  heightened  assurance  which  God  is  pleased  in 
many  cases  to  impart.  He  taught  that  the  essence  of  trae 
justifying  faith  consists  in  the  entire  personal  trust  of  the 
man  of  a  penitent  and  broken  spirit  upon  the  merits  of 
his  Saviour,  as  having  died  for  him ;  and  that  to  all  who  so 
beUeve,  faith  is  imputed  for  righteousness,"  or  in  other 
words,  pardon  was  administered.* 

*  That  Mr.  Wesley  did  not  hold  that  assurance  of  personal  par- 
don is  of  the  essence  of  justifying  faith  is  certain,  from  the  remarks 
in  liis  loiter  to  his  brother  before  quoted,  in  which  lie  plainly  states, 
that  to  believe  tliAt  I  am  pardoned  in  order  to  pardon,  is  an  absur. 
dity  and  a  contradiction.  There  will,  however,  appear  some  obscu. 
rity  in  a  few  other  passages  in  his  writings,  unless  we  notice  the 
sense  in  wlitch  h«  uses  certain  terms,  a  matter  in  which  he  never 


154 


LIFE  OF  THE 


The  immediate  fruits  of  justifying  faith  are  stated  in 
these  Minutes  to  be  "  peace,  joy,  love  ^  power  over  all 
outward  sin,  and  power  to  keep  down  inward  sin." 
Justifying  faith,  when  lost,  is  not  again  attainable,  except 
by  repentance  and  prayer  ;  but  "  no  believer  need  come 

folt  liiiii self  bound  by  tho  systematic  phraseology  of  scholastic  the- 
ologi  jiis.  Thus  there  is  an  apparent  discrepancy  between  the  state, 
ment  of  his  views  as  given  above,  and  the  following  passage  in  his 
B9rmon  on  the  "  Scripture  Way  of  Salvation:" — 

"  Taking  the  word  in  a  more  particular  sense,  faith  is  a  Divine 
evidence  and  conviction,  not  only  that  '  God  was  in  Christ,  recon- 
oiling  the  world  unto  himself ;'  but  also  that  Christ  loved  me,  and 
gave  himself  for  me.  It  is  "by  faith  (whether  wo  term  it,  the  essence, 
or  rather  a  proper*!/ thereof )  that  we  receive  Christ,  that  we  receive 
him  in  all  his  offices,  as  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King.  It  is  by  this 
that  he  is  '  made  of  God  unto  us  wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and 
sanctification,  and  redemption.' 

"  '  But  is  this  the  faith  of  assurance,  or  the  faith  of  adherence  V 
The  Scripture  mentions  no  such  distinction.  The  apostle  says, 
'  Thero  is  one  faith,  and  one  hope  of  our  calling,'  one  Christian, 
saving  faith,  '  as  thero  is  one  Lord,'  in  whom  we  believe,  and  '  ono 
God  and  Father  of  us  all.'  And  it  is  certain,  this  faith  necessarily 
implies  an  assurance  (which  is  here  only  another  word  for  evidence, 
it  being  hard  to  tell  the  difference  between  them)  that  Christ  loved 
me,  and  gave  himself  for  me.  For  '  he  that  believeth,'  with  the  true 
living  faith,  '  hath  the  witness  in  himself :'  '  The  Spirit  witnesscth 
with  his  spirit,  that  he  is  a  child  of  God.'  '  Because  he  is  a  son,  God 
hath  sent  forth  tho  spirit  of  his  Son  into  his  heart,  crying,  Abba, 
Father  ;'  giving  him  an  assurance  that  ho  is  so,  and  a  child-like 
confidence  in  him.  But  let  it  be  observed  that,  in  tho  very  nature 
of  the  thing,  the  assurance  goes  before  the  confidence.  For  a  man 
cannot  have  a  child-like  confidence  in  God  till  he  know  he  is  a  child 
of  God.  Therefore,  confidence,  trust,  reliance,  adherence,  or  what, 
ever  else  it  be  called,  is  not  the  first,  as  some  have  supposed,  but  the 
second  branch  or  act  of  faith." 

Yet  in  fact  the  only  difficulty  arises  from  not  attending  to  his 
mode  of  stating  tho  cass,  and  his  use  of  the  term  assurance.  When 
he  says  that  faith  includes  both  adherence  and  assurance,  it  is  obvi- 
ous that  he  does  not  mean  by  assurance,  the  assurance  of  personal 
acceptance,  which  ho  distinctly,  in  the  same  passage,  ascribes  to  tho 
direct  testimony  of  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  but  the  assurance  that  Christ 
"  died  for  mc,"  "  for  7ny  sins,"  which  special  manifestation  of  God's 
love  in  Christ  to  mo  as  an  individual,  producing  an  entire  trust  in 
the  Divine  sacrifice  for  sin,  he  attributes  to  a  supernatural  elenchos 
or  conviction.  This,  however,  he  considers  as  a  "  conviction"  in 
order  to  faith  or  trust ;  and  then  tho  act  of  personal  and  entire  trust 
in  this  manifested  love  and  goodness  is  succeeded  by  the  direct  tes. 
timony  of  the  Spirit  of  adoption,  which  he  tells  us  gives  a  man  "  the 
assurance  that  he  is  a  child  of  God,  and  a  child  like  confidence  in 
him."  And  when  he  goes  on  so  truly  to  state,  that  "  in  the  very 
mature  of  the  thing,  the  assurance  goes  before  the  confidence." 


HEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


155 


again  into  a  state  of  doubt,  or  fear,  or  darkness  ;  and  that 
(ordinarily  at  least)  he  will  not,  unless  by  ignorance  or 
unfaithtulness."  Assaults  of  doubt  and  fear  are  however 
admitted,  even  after  great  confidence  and  joy  ;  and  "  occa- 
sional heaviness  of  spirit  before  large  manifestations  of  the 
presence  and  favour  of  God."  To  these  views  of  doctrine 
may  be  added,  that  regeneration  or  the  new  birth  is  held  to 
be  concomitant  with  justification.  "  Good  works  cannot  go 
belbre  this  faith;  much  less  can  sanctification,which  implies 
a  continued  course  of  good  works,  springing  from  holiness 
of  heart ;  but  they  follow  after  :"  and  the  reason  given  for 
this  IS,  that  as  salvation,  which  includes  a  present  deliver- 
ance from  sin,  a  restoration  of  the  soul  to  its  primitive 
health,  the  renewing  of  the  soul  after  the  image  of  God,  all 
holy  and  heavenly  tempers  and  conversation,  is  by  faith, 
it  cannot  precede  faith,  which  is  the  appointed  instrument 
of  attaining  it.  To  increase  in  all  these  branches  of  holi- 
ness,  the  exercise  of  faith  in  prayer,  and  the  use  of  all  the 
means  appointed  by  God,  are  also  necessary ;  a  living  faith 
being  that  which  unites  the  soul  to  Christ,  and  secures  the 
constant  indwelling  and  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
heart.  Such  a  faith  must  therefore  necessarily  lead  to 
universal  holiness  of  heart  and  life,  and  stands  as  an  im- 

that  "  conficbnce,  trust,  or  rcli:inc3,"  is  not  the  first  but  ths  second 
branch  of  faith,  he  evidently  do.'s  not  here  mean  that  confidance  and 
trust  in  the  merit  of  Christ  by  which  we  are  justified,  but  filial 
trust  and  confidence  in  God  as  our  reconciled  Father,  which  must 
necessarily  bo  subsequent  to  tlie  other.  Accordinof  to  Mr.  Wesley's 
views,  the  order  of  our  p-.ssing  into  a  siaie  of  justification  and  con- 
scious reconcilement  to  God,  is,  1.  True  repsntanca,  wiiich,  how- 
ever, gives  us  no  wortliiness,  and  est  iblishes  no  claim  upon  prirdon, 
although  it  so  necessarily  pr.»ced^s  justifying  f  lith,  that  all  trust 
even  in  tlie  merits  of  Christ  for  salvation  would  be  presumptuous 
and  unauthorized  without  repentince;  since,  as  he  says,  "  Clirist 
is  not  even  to  be  ofF  red  to  the  c  irel.^ss  sinner."  (Sermon  on  "  the 
Law  established  through  f^iilh,")  2.  A  supernatural  elenchos,  or 
assured  conviction,  that  "  Christ  loved  me,  and  gave  himself  for 
me,"  in  the  intention  of  his  death  ;  inciting  to  and  producing  full 
acquiescence  with  God's  method  of  sxving  the  guilty,  and  an  cntir,- 
personal  trust  in  Christ's  atonemnnl  for  sin.  Of  this  trust,  actual 
justification  is  th';  result ;  but  tlien  follows,  3.  Tlie  direct  testimony 
of  tlie  Holy  Spirit,  giving  assurance  in  differ  'nt  degrees,  in  dififorent 
pi  rson.s,  and  often  in  the  same  person,  that  I  am  a  child  of  God; 
and,  4.  Filial  confidence  in  God.  The  elenchos,  the  trust,  tho 
SpiriVs  witness,  and  the  filial  confidence  he  held,  were  frequently, 
but  not  always,  so  closely  united  as  not  to  be  distinguished  as  to 
time,  though  each  is,  from  its  nature,  successive  and  distinct. 


166 


LIFE  OF  THE 


pregnable  barrier  against  Pharisaism  on  the  one  baud,  and 
the  pollutions  of  Antinomianism  on  the  other. 

On  another  doctrine,  in  defence  of  which  Mr.  Wesley 
afterward  wrote  much,  these  early  Minutes  of  Conference 
contain  perhaps  the  best  epitome  of  his  views,  and  may  be 
somewhat  at  length  quoted. 

"  Q.  1 .  What  is  it  to  be  sanctified  ? 

"  A.  To  be  renewed  in  the  image  of  God,  in  righteous, 
ness  and  true  holiness. 

*'  Q.  2.  Is  faith  the  condition,  or  the  instrument,  of 
sanctification  ? 

"A.  It  is  both  the  condition  and  instrument  of  it.  When 
we  begin  to  believe,  then  sanctilication  begins.  And  as 
faith  increases,  holiness  increases,  till  we  are  created  anew. 
Q.  3.  What  is  implied  in  being  a  perfect  Christian  ? 

"  A.  The  loving  the  Lord  our  God  with  all  our  heart, 
and  with  all  our  mind,  and  soul,  and  strength,  Deut.  vi,  5 ; 
XXX,  6  ;  Ezek.  xxxvi,  25-29. 

"  Q.  4.  Does  this  imply  that  all  inward  sin  is  taken  away? 
A.  Without  doubt  :  or  how  could  he  be  said  to  be 
saved  '  from  all  his  uncleannesses  ?'  Ezek.  xxxvi,  29  " 

And  again, — 

"  Q..  1.  How  much  is  allowed  by  our  brethren  who  differ 
from  us,  with  regard  to  entire  sanctification  ? 

"  A.  They  grant,  1.  That  every  one  must  be  entirely 
sanctified  in  the  article  of  death. 

2.  That,  till  then,  a  believer  daily  grows  in  grace, 
comes  nearer  and  nearer  to  perfection. 

<•  3.  That  we  ought  to  be  continually  pressing  after  this, 
and  to  exhort  all  others  so  to  do. 

"  Q.  2.  What  do  we  allow  to  them  ? 

"  A.  We  grant,  1.  That  many  of  those  Avho  have  died 
in  the  faith,  yea,  the  greater  part  of  those  we  have  known, 
were  not  sanctified  throughout,  not  made  perfect  in  love, 
till  a  little  before  death. 

"2.  That  the  term  'sanctified,'  is  continually  applied 
by  St.  Paul  to  all  that  were  justified,  were  true  believers. 

"  3.  That  by  tiiis  term  alone,  he  rarely  (if  ever)  means, 
saved  from  all  sin. 

"  4.  That,  consequently,  it  is  not  proper  to  use  it  in  this 
sense,  without  adding  the  word  'wholly,  entirely,'  or  the  like. 

•'  5.  That  the  inspired  writers  almost  continually  speak 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


157 


of  or  to  those  who  were  justified  ;  but  very  rarely,  either  of 
or  to  those  who  were  wholly  sanctified. 

"  6.  That,  consequently,  it  behoves  us  to  speak  in  pub- 
lic almost  continually  of  the  state  of  justification;  but  more 
rarely,  at  least  in  fuU  and  explicit  terms,  concerning  entire 
sanctification. 

"  Q.  3.  What  then  is  the  point  wherein  we  divide? 

"  A.  It  is  this  :  whether  w'e  should  expect  to  be  saved 
from  all  sin,  before  the  article  of  death. 

"  Q.  4.  Is  there  any  clear  Scripture  promise  of  this  ? 
that  God  v/ill  save  us  from  all  sin  ? 

"  A.  There  is  :  Psalm  cxxx,  8,  '  He  shall  redeem  Israel 
from  all  his  sins.' 

"  This  is  more  largely  expressed  in  the  prophecy  of 
Ezekiel :  '  Then  will  I  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you,  and 
you  shall  be  clean ;  from  all  your  filthiness  and  from  all 
your  idols  will  I  cleanse  you.  I  will  also  save  you  from  all 
your  uncleannesses  :'  chap  xxxvi,  25,  29.  No  promise 
can  be  more  clear.  And  to  this  the  apostle  plainly  refers 
in  that  exhortation,  '  Having  these  promises,  let  us  cleanse 
ourselves  from  all  filthiness  of  flesh  and  spirit,  perfecting 
holiness  in  the  fear  of  God,'  2  Cor.  vii,  1.  Equally  clear 
and  express  is  that  ancient  promise,  "  The  Lord  thy  God 
•  will  circumcise  thine  heart,  and  the  heart  of  thy  seed,  to 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul,'  Deut.  XXX,  6. 

"  Q.  5.  But  does  any  assertion  answerable  to  this,  occur 
in  the  New  Testament  ? 

"  A.  There  does,  and  that  laid  down  in  the  plainest  terms. 
So  St.  John  iii,  8,  '  For  this  purpose  the  Son  of  God  was 
manifested,  that  he  might  destro}'  the  works  of  the  devil ;' 
the  works  of  the  devil,  without  any  limitation  or  restriction  ; 
but  all  sin  is  the  work  of  the  devil.  Parallel  to  which  is 
that  assertion  of  St.  Paul,  Eph.  v,  25, 27,  '  Christ  loved  the 
Church,  and  gave  himself  for  it — that  he  might  present  it 
to  himself  a  glorious  Church,  not  having  spot  or  wrinkle, 
or  any  such  thing,  but  that  it  should  be  holy  and  without 
blemish,' 

"  And  to  the  same  effect  is  his  assertion  in  the  eighth  ot 
Romans,  (verses  3,  4,)  '  God  sent  his  Son — that  the  right- 
eousness  of  the  law  might  be  fulfilled  in  us,  walking  not 
after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Snirit.' 


I 


158 


LIFE  OF  THE 


"Q.  6.  Does  the  New  Testament  afford  any  farther 
ground  for  expecting  to  be  saved  from  all  sin  ? 

"A.  Undoubtedly  it  does,  both  in  those  prayers  and 
commands  which  are  equivalent  to  the  strongest  assertions. 

"  Q.  7.  What  prayers  do  you  mean  ? 

"A.  Pi  ayers  for  entire  sanctification  ;  which,  were  there 
no  such  thing,  would  be  mere  mockery  of  God.  Such  in 
particular  are  1.  '  Deliver  us  from  evil ;'  or  rather,  '  from 
the  evil  one.'  Now  when  this  is  done,  when  we  are 
delivered  from  all  evil,  there  can  be  no  sin  remaining. — 

2.  '  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which 
shall  believe  on  me  through  their  word  ;  that  they  all  may 
be  one,  as  thou  Father  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee  ;  that  they 
also  may  be  one  in  us  :  I  in  them  and  thou  in  me,  that  they 
may  be  made  perfect  in  one,'  John  xvii,  20,  21,  23. — 

3.  '  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ — that  he  would  grant  you — that  ye,  being 
rooted  and  grounded  in  love,  may  be  able  to  comprehend 
with  all  saints,  what  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and  height, 
and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ  which  passeth  knowledge, 
that  ye  might  be  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God,'  Eph. 
iii,  14,  16-19.  4.  'The  very  God  of  peace  sanctify  you 
wholly.  And  I  pray  God,  your  whole  spirit,  soul,  and 
body,  be  preserved  blameless,  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,'  1  Thess.  v,  23. 

"  Q.  8.  What  command  is  there  to  the  same  effect  ? 

"A.  1.  '  Be  ye  perfect,  as  your  Father  which  is  in  hea- 
ven is  perfect,'  Matt,  vi,  ult. 

"2.  'Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  aP  thy  mind,'  Matt, 
xxii,  37.  But  if  the  love  of  God  fill  a.i  the  heart,  there 
can  be  no  sin  there. 

"  Q.  9.  But  how  does  it  appear,  that  this  is  to  be  done 
before  the  article  of  death  ? 

"  A.  First,  from  the  very  nature  of  a  command,  which 
is  not  given  to  the  dead,  but  to  the  living. 

"Therefore,  'Thou  shalt  love  God  with  all  thy  heart, 
cannot  mean.  Thou  shalt  do  this  when  thou  diest,  but 
while  thou  livest. 

"  Secondly,  from  express  texts  of  Scripture  : — 

"  1  '  The  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  hath 
appeared  to  all  men    teaching  us,  that  having  renounced 


0 


EEV.   JOHN  WESLET. 


159 


(dpvvjfl'ap.Evoi)  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  we  should 
live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly  in  this  present  M  orld  : 
looking  for — the  glorious  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  who  gavo  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem 
us  from  all  iniquity ;  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar 
people,  zealous  of  good  works,'  Tit.  ii,  11-14. 

'•  2.  '  He  hath  raised  up  a  horn  of  salvation  for  us — 
to  perform  the  mercy  promised  to  our  fathers  :  the  oath 
which  he  sware  to  our  father  Abraham,  that  he  would 
grant  unto  us,  that  we,  being  deUvered  out  of  the  hands 
of  our  enemies,  should  serve  him  without  fear,  in  holiness 
and  righteousness  before  him,  all  the  days  of  our  life,' 
Luke  i,  69,  &c. 

"  Q.  16.  Does  not  the  harshly  preaching  perfection, 
tend  to  bring  believers  into  a  kind  of  bondage  or  slavish, 
fear? 

"A.  It  does.  Therefore  we  should  always  place  it  in 
the  most  amiable  light,  so  that  it  may  excite  only  hope, 
joy,  and  desire. 

"Q.  17.  Why  may  we  not  continue  in  the  joy  of  faith, 
even  till  we  are  made  perfect  ? 

"A.  Why  indeed?  since  holy  grief  does  not  quench 
this  joy  :  since,  even  while  we  are  under  the  cross,  while 
we  deeply  partake  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  we  may 
rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable. 

"  Q.  18.  Do  we  not  discourage  beUevers  from  rejoicing 
evermore  ? 

"A.  We  ought  not  so  to  do.  Let  them,  all  their  life 
long,  rejoice  unto  God,  so  it  be  with  reverence.  And 
even  if  lightness  or  pride  should  mix  with  their  joy  let  us 
not  strike  at  the  joy  itself,  (this  is  the  gift  of  God,)  but 
at  that  lightness  or  pride  that  the  evil  may  cease,  and  the 
good  remain. 

"  Q.  20.  But  ought  we  not  to  be  troubled  on  account 
of  the  sinful  nature  which  still  remains  in  us  ? 

"  A.  It  is  good  for  us  to  have  a  deep  sense  of  this, 
and  to  be  much  ashamed  before  the  Lord.  But  this 
should  only  incite  us  the  more  earnestly  to  turn  unto 
Christ  every  moment,  and  to  draw  light,  and  life,  and 
strength  from  him,  that  we  may  go  on,  conquering  and  to 
conquer.  And  therefore,  when  the  sense  of  our  sin  most 
abounds,  the  sense  of  his  love  should  much  more  abound." 


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LIFE  OF  THE 


The  doctrine  of  assurance,  and  the  source  of  it,  the 
testimony  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  the  Spirit  of  adoption, 
ai-e  frequently  referred  to  in  these  early  doctrinal  con- 
versations. This  however  is  more  fully  stated  in  Mr. 
Wesley's  sermons,  and  the  following  extracts  will  be 
necessary  to  present  his  vieM's  on  this  subject  in  their  true 
light  :— 

"  But  what  is  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  ?  The  original 
word  jjMpTup'io.  may  be  rendered  either,  as  it  is  in  several 
places,)  the  witness,  or,  less  ambiguously,  the  testimony, 
or  the  record :  so  it  is  rendered  in  our  translation,  1  John 
V,  11,  'This  is  the  record,'  the  testimony,  the  sum  of 
w  hat  God  testifies  in  all  the  inspired  writings,  '  that  God 
hath  given  unto  us  eternal  life,  and  this  life  is  in  his  Son.' 
The  testimony  now  under  consideration  is  given  by  the 
Spirit  of  God  to  and  with  our  spirit.  He  is  the  Person 
testifying.  What  he  testifies  to  us  is,  '  that  we  are  the 
children  of  God.'  The  immediate  result  of  this  testimony 
ifi,  'the  fruit  of  the  Spirit;'  namely,  'love,  joy,  peace; 
long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness.'  And  without  these, 
the  testimony  itself  cannot  continue.  For,  it  is  inevitably 
destroyed,  not  only  by  tlie  commission  of  any  outward 
sin,  or  the  omission  of  known  duty,  but  by  giving  way  to 
any  inward  sin  :  in  a  word,  by  whatever  grieves  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God. 

"  2.  I  observed  many  years  ago.  It  is  hard  to  find 
woi'ds  in  the  language  of  men,  to  explain  the  deep  things 
of  God.  Indeed  there  are  none  that  will  adequately 
express  what  the  Spii'it  of  God  works  in  his  children. 
But,  perhaps,  one  might  say,  (desiring  any  who  are  taught 
of  God  to  correct,  soften,  or  strengthen  the  expression,) 
By  the  'testimony  of  the  Spirit'  I  mean,  an  inward  impres- 
sion on  the  soul,  whereby  the  Spirit  of  God  immediately 
and  directly  witnesses  to  my  spirit,  that  I  am  a  child  of 
God  ;  that  'Jesus  Christ  hath  loved  me,  and  given  himself 
for  me  ;'  that  all  my  sins  are  blotted  out,  and  I,  even  I,  am 
reconciled  to  God. 

"  3.  After  twenty  years'  farther  consideration,  I  see  no 
cause  to  retract  any  part  of  this.  Neither  do  I  conceive 
how  any  of  these  expressions  may  be  altered,  so  as  to 
make  them  more  intelligible.  I  can  only  add,  that  if  any 
of  the  children  of  God  will  point  out  any  other  expres- 


KEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


161 


sions  which  are  more  clear,  or  more  agreeable  to  the  word 
of  God,  I  will  readily  lay  these  aside. 

4.  Meantime  let  it  be  observed,  I  do  not  mean  hereby, 
that  the  Spirit  of  God  testifies  this  by  any  outward  voice  : 
no,  nor  always  by  an  inward  voice,  although  he  may  do 
this  sometimes.  Neither  do  I  suppose,  that  he  always 
applies  to  the  heart  (though  he  often  may)  one  or  more 
texts  of  Scripture.  But  he  so  works  upon  the  soul  by  his 
immediate  influence,  and  by  a  strong,  though  inexplicable 
operation,  that  the  stoi-my  wind  and  troubled  waves  subside, 
and  there  is  a  sweet  calm  :  the  heart  resting  as  in  the 
arms  of  Jesus,  and  the  sinner  being  clearly  satisfied  that 
all  his  'iniquities  are  forgiven,  and  his  sins  covered.' 

"  5.  Now  what  is  the  matter  of  dispute  concerning  this  ? 
Not,  whether  there  be  a  witness  or  testimony  of  the 
Spirit.  Not,  Avhether  the  Spirit  does  testify  with  our 
spirit,  that  we  are  the  children  of  God.  None  can  deny 
this,  without  flatly  contradicting  the  Scriptures,  and  charg- 
ing a  lie  upon  the  God  of  truth.  Therefore  that  there  is 
a  testimony  of  the  Spirit,  is  acknowledged  by  all  parties. 

"  6.  Neither  is  it  questioned,  whether  there  is  an  indi- 
rect  witness  or  testimony,  that  we  are  the  children  of  God. 
This  is  nearly,  if  not  exactly,  the  same  with  '  the  testimony 
of  a  good  conscience  towai'd  God and  is  the  result  of 
reason,  or  reflection  on  what  we  feel  in  our  own  souls. 
Strictly  speaking,  it  is  a  conclusion  drawn  partly  from  the 
word  of  God,  and  partly  from  our  own  experience.  The 
word  of  God  says,  Every  one  who  has  the  fruit  of  the 
Spirit  is  a  child  of  God.  Experience  or  inward  con- 
Bciousness  tells  me,  that  I  have  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit ; 
and  hence  I  rationally  conclude,  therefore  I  am  a  child  of 
God.  This  is  likewise  alloAved  on  all  hands,  and  so  is 
no  matter  of  controversy. 

"  7.  Nor  do  we  assert,  that  there  can  be  any  real  testi- 
mony of  the  Spirit,  without  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit.  We 
assert,  on  the  contrary,  that  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  imme- 
diately  springs  from  this  testimony;  not  always  indeed  in 
the  same  degree  even  when  the  testimony  is  first  given  ; 
and  much  less  afterward  :  neither  joy  nor  peace  is  always 
at  one  stay.  No,  nor  love  :  as  neither  is  the  testimony 
itself  always  equally  strong  and  clear. 

8.  But  the  point  in  question  is,  whether  there  be  any 
14* 


162 


LIFE  OF  TIIF. 


direct  testimony  of  the  Spirit  at  all ;  whether  there  be  any 
other  testimony  of  the  Spirit,  than  that  which  arises  from 
a  consciousness  of  the  fruit. 

"  1.  I  believe  there  is,  because  that  is  the  plain,  natural 
meaning  of  the  text, '  the  Spirit  itself  beareth  witness  with 
our  spirit,  that  we  are  the  children  of  God.'  It  is  manifest, 
here  are  two  witnesses  mentioned,  who  together  testify  the 
same  thing,  the  Spirit  of  God  and  our  own  spirit.  The 
late  bishop  of  London,  in  his  sermon  on  this  text,  seems 
astonished  that  any  one  can  doubt  of  this,  which  appears 
upon  the  very  face  of  the  words.  Now  '  the  testimony  of 
our  own  spirit,  (says  the  bishop,)  is  one,  which  is  the 
consciousness  of  our  own  sincerity ;'  or  to  express  tho 
same  thing  a  little  more  clearly,  the  consciousness  of  the 
fruit  of  the  Spirit.  When  our  spirit  is  conscious  of  this,  of 
love,  joy,  peace,  long  suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  it 
easily  infers,  from  these  premises,  that  we  are  the  children 
of  God. 

"  2.  It  is  true,  that  great  man  supposes  the  other  witness 
to  be  '  the  consciousness  of  our  own  good  works.'  This, 
he  affirms,  is  '  the  testimony  of  God's  Spirit.'  But  this  is 
included  in  the  testimony  of  our  own  spirit :  yea,  and  in 
sincerity,  even  according  to  the  common  sense  of  the  word. 
So  the  apostle,  '  Our  rejoicing  is  tliis,  the  testimony  of  our 
conscience,  that  in  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity  we  have 
our  conversation  in  the  world  :'  where  it  is  plain,  sincerity 
refers  to  our  words  and  actions,  at  least  as  much  as  to  our 
inward  dispositions.  So  that  this  is  not  another  witness, 
but  the  very  same  that  he  mentioned  before  :  the  conscious- 
ness of  our  good  works  being  only  one  branch  of  the  con- 
sciousness of  our  sincerity.  Consequently  here  is  only 
one  witness  still.  If  therefore  the  text  speaks  of  two  wit- 
nesses, one  of  these  is  not  the  consciousness  of  our  good 
works,  neither  of  our  sincerity  :  all  this  being  manifestly 
contained  in  '  the  testimony  of  our  spirit.' 

"  3.  What  then  is  the  other  witness  ?  This  might  easily 
be  learned,  if  the  text  itself  were  not  sufficiently  clear,  from 
the  verse  immediately  preceding.  '  Ye  have  received,  not 
the  spirit  of  bondage,  but  the  Spirit  of  adoption,  whereby 
we  cry,  Abba,  Father.'  It  follows,  '  The  Spirit  itself 
beareth  witness  with  our  spirit,  that  we  are  the  children 
of  God.' 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


163 


"  4.  This  is  farther  explained  by  the  parallel  text,  Gal. 
iv,  6  :  '  Because  ye  arc  sons,  God  hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit 
of  his  Son  into  your  hearts,  cn  ing,  Abba,  Father,'  Is  not 
this  something  immediate  and  direct,  not  the  result  of 
reflection  or  argumentation?  Does  not  this  Spirit  cry, 
*  Abba,  Father,'  in  oiir  hearts,  the  moment  it  is  given  ? 
antecedently  to  any  reflection  upon  our  sincerity,  yea,  to 
any  reasoning  whatsoever?  And  is  not  this  the  plain, 
natural  sense  of  the  words,  which  strikes  any  one  as  soon 
as  he  hears  them  ?  All  these  texts  then,  in  their  most 
obvious  meaning,  describe  a  direct  testimony  of  the  Spirit. 

"  5.  That  tJie  testimony  of  t?ie  Spirit  of  God  must,  in  the 
very  nature  of  things,  be  antecedent  to  the  testimony  of  our 
own  spirit,  may  ap^>  jar  from  this  single  consideration.  We 
must  be  holy  in  heart  and  life,  before  we  can  be  conscious 
that  we  are  so.  But  we  must  love  God  before  we  can  be 
holy  at  all,  this  being  the  root  of  all  holiness.  Now  we 
cannot  love  God,  till  we  know  he  loves  us  :  '  we  love  him 
because  he  first  loved  us.'  And  we  cannot  know  his  love 
to  us,  till  his  Spirit  witnesses  it  to  our  spirit.  Since  there- 
fore  the  testimony  of  his  Spirit  must  precede  the  love  of 
God^and  all  holiness,  of  consequence  it  must  precede  our 
consciousness  thereof." 

A  doctrine  so  often  misrepresented  and  misunderstood 
could  not  be  so  properly  stated,  as  in  Mr.  Wesley's  own 
words  ;  and  as  many,  and  those  even  professing  to  be  sober 
Christians,  have,  principally  with  reference  to  this  doctrine, 
frequently  opened  upon  this  venerable  man  the  full  cry  of 
enthusiasm  and  fanatical  delusion,  it  may  be  proper  to  add 
a  few  explanatory-  and  defensive  remarks,  and  that  not 
merely  for  the  sake  of  justice  to  ^  opinions,  but  in 
support  of  a  great  doctrine  of  revelation,  most  intimately 
connected  witii  the  hope  and  comfort  of  man. 

And,  1.  The  doctrine  of  assurance  as  held  by  the  founder 
of  Methodism  was  not  the  assurance  of  eternal  salvation 
as  held  by  Calvinistic  divines ;  but  that  persuasion  which 
is  given  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  penitent  and  believing  per- 
sons, that  they  are  "  now  accepted  of  God,  pardoned,  and 
adopted  into  God's  family."  It  was  an  assurance,  there- 
fore, on  the  ground  of  Avhich  no  relaxation  of  religious 
effort  could  be  pleaded,  and  no  unwatchfulness  of  spirit  or 
ir/egularity  of  life  allowed  :  for  he  taught,  that  only  by  the 


164 


LIFE  or  THE 


lively  exercise  of  the  same  humble  and  obedient  faith  in 
the  merits  and  intercession  of  Christ,  this  state  of  mind 
could  be  maintained,  and  it  was  made  by  him  a  motive 
(influential  as  our  desire  of  inward  peace  can  be  influential) 
to  vigilance  and  obedience. 

2.  Tiiis  doctrine  cannot  be  denied  without  disconnecting 
religion  from  peace  of  mind,  and  habitual  consolation. 
For  if  it  is  the  doctrine  of  the  inspired  records,  and  of  all 
orthodox  Churches,  that  man  is  by  nature  prone  to  evil, 
and  that  in  practice  he  violates  that  law  under  which  as  a 
creature  he  is  placed,  and  is  thereby  exposed  to  punish- 
ment ; — if  also  it  is  there  stated,  that  an  act  of  grace  and 
pardon  is  promised  on  the  conditions  of  repentance  toward 
God  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; — if  that  repent- 
ance implies  consideration  of  our  ways,  a  sense  of  the 
displeasure  of  almighty  God,  contrition  of  heart,  and  con- 
sequently trouble  and  grief  of  mind,  mixed,  however,  with 
hope,  inspired  by  the  promise  of  forgiveness,  and  which 
leads  to  earnest  supplication  for  the  actual  pardon  of  sin  so 
promised,  it  will  follow  from  these  premises,  either,  that 
forgiveness  is  not  to  be  expected  till  after  the  termination 
of  our  course  of  probation,  that  is,  in  another  life ;  and 
that,  therefore,  this  trouble  and  apprehension  of  mind  can 
only  be  assuaged  by  the  hope  we  may  have  of  a  favourable 
final  decision  on  our  case  ; — or,  that  sin  is,  in  the  present 
life,  forgiven  as  often  as  it  is  thus  repented  of,  and  as  often 
as  we  exercise  the  required  and  specific  acts  of  trust  in  the 
merits  of  our  Saviour  ;  but  that  this  forgiveness  of  our  sins 
is  not  in  any  way  made  known  unto  us  :  so  that  we  are 
left,  as  to  our  feelings,  in  precisely  the  same  state  as  if  sin 
were  not  forgive*  till  after  death,  namely,  in  grief  and 
trouble  of  mind,  relieved  only  by  hope  ; — or,  that  when  sin 
is  forgiven  by  the  mercy  of  God  through  Christ,  we  are, 
by  some  means,  assured  of  it,  and  peace  and  satisfaction 
of  mind  take  the  place  of  anxiety  and  fear. 

The  first  of  these  conclusions  is  sufiiciently  disproved 
by  the  authority  of  Scripture,  which  exhibits  justification 
as  a  blessing  attainable  in  this  life,  and  represents  it  as 
actually  experienced  by  true  believers.  "  Therefore  being 
justified  by  faith,"  &c.  "  There  is  now  no  condemnation 
to  them  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus."  "  Whosoever  beheveth 
is  justified  from  all  things,"  &c.    The  quotations  might 


$EV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


165 


be  multiplied,  but  these  are  decisive.  The  notion,  that 
though  an  act  of  forgiveness  may  take  place,  ^ve  are  unable 
to  ascertain  a  fact  so  important  to  us,  is  also  irreconcila- 
ble  with  many  texts  in  Avhich  the  writers  of  the  New  Tes- 
lament  speak  of  an  experience,  not  confined  personally  to 
themselves,  or  to  those  Christians  who  were  endowed  with 
spiritual  gifts,  but  common  to  all  Christians.  "Being 
justified  by  faith  we  have  peace  with  God."  "  We  joy  in 
God,  by  whom  we  have  received  the  reconciliation." 
"  Being  reconciled  unto  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son." 
"  We  have  not  received  the  spirit  of  bondage  again  unto 
fear,  but  the  Spirit  of  adoption  whereby  we  cry,  Abba, 
Father."  To  these  may  be  added  innumerable  passages 
which  express  the  comfort,  the  confidence,  and  the  joy  of 
Christians  ;  their  "  friendship"  with  God  ;  their  "  access" 
to  him  ;  their  entire  union  and  delightful  intercourse  with 
him  ;  and  their  absolute  confidence  in  the  success  of  their 
prayers.  All  such  passages  are  perfectly  consistent  with 
deep  humilit\^  and  self  diffidence ;  but  they  are  irreconci- 
lable with  a  state  of  hostility  between  the  parties,  and 
with  an  unascertained,  and  only  hoped-for,  restoration 
of  friendship  and  favour. 

3.  The  services  of  the  Church  of  which  Mr.  Wesley 
was  a  minister,  may  be  pleaded  also  in  support  of  his 
opinions  on  this  subject.  Those  services,  though,  with 
propriety,  as  being  designed  for  the  use  not  of  true  Chris- 
tians only,  but  of  mixed  congregations,  they  abound  in 
acts  of  confession,  and  the  expressions  of  spiritual  grief, 
exhibit  also  this  confidence  and  peace,  as  objects  of  earnest 
desire  and  hopeful  anticipation,  and  as  blessings  attainable 
in  the  present  life.  We  pray  to  be  made  "  children  by 
adoption  and  grace  ;"  to  be  "  relieved  from  the  fear  of 
punishment  by  tiie  comfort  of  God's  ^race  ;"  not  to  be 
"left  comfortless,  but  that  God,  the  King  of  glory,  would 
send  to  us  the  Holy  Ghost  to  comfort  us;"  and  that  by 
the  same  Spirit  having  a  right  judgment  in  all  things,  "  we 
may  evermore  rejoice  in  his  holy  comfort."  In  the  prayer 
directed  to  be  used  for  one  troubled  in  mind  or  in  con- 
science, we  have  also  the  following  impressive  petitions  : 
"  Break  not  the  bruised  reed,  nor  quench  the  smoking  flax. 
Shut  not  up  thy  tender  mercies  in  displeasure,  but  make 
him  to  hear  of  joy  and  gladness,  that  the  bones  which  thou 


166 


LIFE  OF  THE 


hast  broken  may  rejoice.  Deliver  him  from  the  fear  of 
the  enemy,  and  lift  up  the  light  of  thy  countenance  upon 
him,  and  give  him  peace."  Now  unless  it  be  contended, 
that  by  these  petitions  we  are  directed  to  seek  what  we 
can  never  find,  and  always  to  follow  that  which  we  can 
never  overtake,  the  Church,  in  the  spirit  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, assumes  that  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  the  relief 
of  the  sorrows  of  the  penitent  state,  are  attainable,  with 
those  consequent  comforts  and  joys  which  can  only  arise 
from  some  assurance  of  mind,  by  whatever  means  and  in 
whatever  degree  communicated,  that  we  have  a  personal 
interest  in  the  general  promise,  and  that  we  are  reconciled 
to  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son.  For  since  the  general 
promise  is  made  to  many  who  will  never  be  benefited  by  it, 
it  cannot  of  itself  be  the  ground  of  a  settled  religious  peace 
of  mind.  As  it  is  a  promise  of  blessings  to  be  individually 
experienced,  unless  I  can  have  personal  experience  of  them, 
it  holds  up  to  hope  what  can  never  come  into  fruition.* 

*  "  Faith  is  not  merely  a  speculative  but  a  practical  acknovvled-j. 
ment  of  Jesus  as  the  Christ — an  effort  and  motion  of  the  mind  toward 
God ;  when  the  sinner,  convinced  of  sin,  accepts  with  thankfulness 
the  proffered  terms  of  pardon,  and  in  humble  confidence  npplying 
individually  to  himself  the  benefit  of  the  general  atonement,  in  the 
elevated  language  of  a  venerable  father  of  the  Church,  drinks  of  the 
stream  which  flows  from  the  Redeemer's  side.  The  effect  is,  that  in 
a  little  he  is  filled  with  that  perfect  love  of  God  which  ciisteth  out  fear, 
— he  cleaves  to  God  with  the  entire  aiTcction  of  the  soul.  And  from 
this  active  lively  faith,  overcoming  the  world,  subduing  carnal  self, 
all  those  good  works  do  necessarily  spring,  which  God  hath  before 
ordained  that  we  should  walk  in  them." — Bishop  Horsley's  Sermons. 

"  The  purchase,  therefore,  was  paid  at  once,  yet  must  be  severally 
reckoned  to  every  soul  whom  it  shall  benefit.  If  we  liave  not  a  hand 
to  take  what  Christ's  hand  doth  cither  hold  or  ofler,  what  is  sufficient 
in  him  cannot  be  effectual  to  us.  The  spiritual  hand,  whereby  we 
apprehend  the  sweet  ofl'cr  of  our  Saviour,  is  faith,  which,  in  short, 
is  no  other  than  an  affiance  in  the  Mediiitor.  Receive  peace,  and  be 
happy  :  believe,  and  thou  hast  received.  Thus  it  is  that  we  have  an 
interest  in  all  that  God  hath  promised,  or  Christ  hath  performed. 
Thus  have  we  from  God  both  forgiveness  and  love,  the  ground  of 
all  whether  peace  or  glory." — Bishop  Hall's  Heaven  upon  Earth. 

"  It  is  the  property  of  saving  faith,  thut  it  hath  a  force  to  appro, 
priate,  and  make  Christ  our  own.  Without  this,  a  general  remote 
belief  would  have  been  cold  comfort.  '  Ho  loved  me,  and  gave  him- 
self for  me,'  sailh  St.  Paul.  What  saith  St.  Chrysostom  ?  '  Did 
Christ  die  only  for  St.  Paul  ?  No.  Non  excludit,  sed  appropriat 
he  excludes  not  others,  but  he  will  secure  himself." — Bishop  Brown- 
rigg's  Sermon  on  Easter  Day. 


KEV.  JOHN  IVESLiV. 


1G7 


An  assurance,  therefore,  that  those  sius  which  were  felt 
to  "  be  a  burden  intolerable"  are  forgiven,  and  that  all 
ground  of  that  apprehension  of  future  punishment  which 
causes  the  penitent  to  "  bewail  his  manifold  sins"  is  re- 
moved by  restoration  to  the  favour  of  the  offended  God, 
must  be  allowed,  or  nothing  would  be  more  incongruous 
and  indeed  impossible  than  the  comfort,  the  peace,  the 
rejoicing  of  spirit,  which,  in  the  Scriptures,  are  attributed 
to  believers.  If,  indeed,  self  condemnation,  and  the  appre- 
hension  of  danger,  had  no  foundation  but  in  the  imagina- 
tion, the  case  would  be  totally  altered.  Where  there  is 
no  danger,  deliverance  is  visionaiy  ;  and  the  joy  it  inspires 
is  raving,  and  not  reason.  But  if  a  real  danger  exists  ; 
and  if  we  cannot  escape  it  except  by  an  act  of  grace  on 
the  part  of  almighty  God,  we  must  have  some  evidence  of 
his  gracious  interposition  in  our  case,  or  the  guilty  gloom 
will  abide  upon  us.  The  more  sincere  and  earnest  a 
person  is  in  the  affairs  of  his  salvation,  the  more  miserable 
he  must  become  if  there  be  no  possibility  of  his  knowing 
that  the  wrath  of  God  no  longer  abideth  upon  him  : — then 
the  ways  of  wisdom  would  be  no  longer  "  ways  of  pleasant, 
ness,  and  paths  of  peace." 

4.  Few  real  Christians,  therefore,  have  ever  denied  the 
possibility  of  our  becoming  so  persuaded  of  the  favour  and 
good  will  of  God  toward  us  as  to  produce  substantial  com- 
fort to  the  mind  ;  but  they  have  differed  in  opinion  as  to 
the  means  by  w-hich  this  is  acquired.  Some  have  said  that 
we  obtain  it  by  inference ;  others,  by  the  direct  inward  tes- 
timony  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  latter,  as  we  have  seen, 
was  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Wesley ;  but  he  never  failed  to 
connect  this  doctrine  Avith  another,  which,  on  the  authority 
of  St.  Paul,  he  calls  "  the  w  itness  of  our  own  spirit," — 
"  the  consciousness  of  having  received,  m  and  by  the  Spirit 
of  adoption,  the  tempers  mentioned  in  the  word  of  God,  as 
belonging  to  his  adopted  children — a  consciousness  that 
we  are  inwardly  conformed,  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  to  the 
image  of  his  Son,  and  that  we  walk  before  him  in  justice, 
mercy,  and  truth,  doing  the  things  which  are  pleasing  in 
his  sight."  These  two  testimonies  l^e  never  put  asunder 
although  he  assigned  them  distinct  offices;  and  this  cannot 
be  overlooked  if  justice  be  done  to  his  opinions.  In  order 
to  prevent  presumption,  he  reminds  his  readers  that  the 


169 


LIFE  OF  THE 


direct  testimony  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  subsequent  to  true 
repentance  and  faith ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  to  guard 
against  delusion,  he  asks,  "  How  am  I  assured  that  I  do 
not  mistake  the  voice  of  the  Spirit  ?  Even  by  the  testi- 
mony  of  my  own  spiiit,  '  by  the  answer  of  a  good  con- 
science toward  God  :'  hereby  you  shall  know  that  you 
ai-e  in  no  delusion,  that  you  have  not  deceived  your  own 
soul.  The  immediate  fruits  of  the  Spirit  ruling  in  the 
heart  are  love,  joy,  peace,  bowels  of  mercies,  humbleness 
of  mind,  meekness,  gentleness,  long  suffering.  And  the 
outward  fruits  are  the  doing  good  to  all  men,  and  a  uniform 
obedience  to  all  the  commands  of  God."  Where  then  is 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  doctrine  as  thus  stated  ?  An  enthu- 
siastic doctrine  is  unsupported  by  the  sacred  records  ;  but 
in  confirmation  of  this  we  read,  "  The  Spirit  itself  beareth 
witness  with  our  spirit,  that  we  are  the  children  of  God." 
Here  the  witnesses  are  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  our  own 
spirit ;  and  the  fact  to  which  the  testimony  is  given,  is, 
that  we  are  the  children  of  God." — "  And  because  ye 
are  sons,  God  hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into  your 
hearts,  crying,  Abba,  Father  !"  To  these  passages  may 
be  added  all  those  texts  which  speak  of  the  inward  inter- 
course of  the  Spirit  of  God  with  believers  ;  of  his  dwelling 
in  them,  and  abiding  with  them  as  the  source  of  comfort 
and  peace  ;  and  which,  therefore,  imply  the  doctrine.  Nor 
can  such  passages  be  interpreted  otherwise  than  as  teach- 
ing the  doctrine  of  assurance,  conveyed  immediately  to 
the  mind  of  true  believers  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  without  allow- 
ing such  principles  of  construction  as  would  render  the 
sense  of  Scripture  uncertain,  and  unsettle  the  evidence  of 
some  of  the  most  important  doctrines  of  our  religion. 

It  is  true  that  a  more  "  sober"  and  "  less  dangerous" 
method,  as  it  has  been  called,  of  obtaining  a  comfortable 
assurance  of  our  justification  before  God,  has  been  insist 
ed  upon  as  equally  consistent  with  the  word  of  God  ;  but, 
upon  examination,  it  will  be  found  delusive.  This  is  what 
is  termed  a  process  of  inference,  and  is  thus  explained 
The  question  at  issue  is,  "  Am  I  a  child  of  God  ?"  The 
Scriptures  declare  that  "  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit 
of  God  are  the  sons  of  God."  I  inquire  then,  whether  I 
have  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  and,  in  order  to  determine  this,  T 
examine  whether  I  have  "  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit."  Now 


HI!V.  JOHN  WlitiliKV 


160 


"  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  are  love,  joy,  peace,  gentleness, 
goodness,  meekness,  faith,  temperance  ;"  and  having  suffi- 
cient evidence  of  the  existence  of  these  fruits,  I  conclude 
that  I  have  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  am,  therefore,  a  pardoned 
and  accepted  child  of  God,  This  is  the  statement.  But 
among  these  enumerated  fruits  of  the  Spirit  we  iind  love, 
joy,  and  peace,  as  uell  as  gentleness,  goodness,  meekness, 
fidelity,  and  temperance  ;  and  if  it  be  said  that  no  man  has 
a  right  to  assume  that  "he  is  so  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,'" 
as  to  conclude  that  he  is  a  child  of  God,  who  has  only  the 
affections  of  "  peace  and  joy"  to  ground  his  confidence 
upon,  we  have  as  good  a  reason  to  affirm  the  same  thing, 
if  he  has  "meekness  and  temperance,"  without  "love,  and 
peace,  and  joy ;" — the  love,  the  peace,  and  the  joy,  being 
as  much  fruits  of  the  Spirit  as  the  moral  quaUties  also 
enumerated. 

But  can  "  love,''  love  to  God  as  our  Father ;  "  peace," 
peace  with  God,  as  in  a  state  of  friendship  with  us ;  and 
"joy,"  "joy  in  God  by  whom  we  have  received  the  recoil' 
ciliation,"  exist  at  all  without  a  previous  or  concomitant 
assurance  of  the  Divine  forgiveness  and  favour?  Surely 
nothing  is  so  clear,  that  it  is  not  possible  to  love  God  as  a 
Father  and  a  Friend,  whilst  he  is  utill  regarded  as  an  of- 
fended Sovereign  and  a  vengeful  Judge  ;  and  that  to  feel  a 
sense  of  his  displeasure,  and  to  be  at  "  peace"  with  him, 
and  to  rejoice  in  him,  are  contradictions  :  and  if  so,  the 
very  ground  of  this  inference,  that  we  are  in  the  Divine 
favour,  and  adopted  into  his  family  is  taken  away.  This 
whole  inferential  process  proceeds  upon  dividing  the  undi- 
vided fruit  of  the  Spirit,  for  which  we  have  assuredly  no 
authority ;  nor  indeed  have  we  any  reason  to  conclude  that 
we  have  that  gentleness,  that  goodness,  that  meekness, 
&c,  which  the  apostle  describes,  should  the  "love,  joy, 
and  peace,"  which  he  places  among  the  eading  fruits  of 
the  Spirit,  be  wanting.  If  then  the  whole  undivided  frait  of 
the  Spirit  be  taken  as  the  medium  of  ascertaining  the  fact 
of  our  forgiveness  and  adoption,  and  if  it  is  even  absurd  * 
to  suppose  that  we  can  love  God,  whilst  yet  we  feel  him 
to  be  angry  with  us ;  and  that  we  can  rejoice  and  have 
peace,  whilst  the  fearful  apprehensions  of  the  consequences 
of  unremitted  sin  are  not  removed  from  our  minds,  then 
the  only  ground  of  our  "  love,  joy,  and  peace,"  is  pardon 
15 


170 


LIFE  OF  THE 


revealed  and  witnessed,  directly  and  immediately,  by  the 
Spirit  of  adoption.* 

The  mind  of  Mr.  Wesley  was  also  too  discriminating  not 
to  perceive,  that,  in  the  scheme  of  attaining  assurance  by 
inference  from  moral  changes  only,  there  was  a  total  neglect 
of  the  offices  explicitly  ascribed  to  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
New  Testament,  and  which  on  this  scheme  are  unnecessaiy. 
These  are  clearly  stated  to  be  that  of  "  bearing  2vitness" 
with  the  spirits  of  believers,  that  they  are  the  children  of 
God  ;  that  of  the  Spirit  of  adoption,  by  which  they  call  God 
Father  in  the  special  sense  in  which  it  is  correlative  to  that 
sonship  which  we  obtain  only  by  a  justifying  faith  in  Christ ; 
and  that  of  a  Comforter,  promised  to  the  disciples  to  abide 
with  them  "for  ever,"  that  their  "joy  might  be  full." 

Enough  has  been  said  on  this  subject  to  show  that 

*  The  precedence  of  the  direct  witness  of  the  Spirit  of  God  to  the 
indiroct  witness  of  our  own,  and  the  dependence  of  the  latter  upon 
the  former,  are  very  clearly  stated  by  three  divines  of  great  authority ; 
to  whom  I  ref(jr  tho  rather,  because  many  of  their  followers  of  the 
present  day  have  become  very  obscure  in  their  statements  of  this 
branch  of  Christian  experience  : — 

"St.  Piiul  means  that  the  Spirit  of  God  gives  such  a  testimony 
to  us,  that  he  being  our  guide  and  teacher,  our  spirit  concludes  our 
adoption  of  God  to  be  certain.  For  our  own  mind,  of  itself,  inde- 
pendent  of  the  preceding  testimony  of  the  Spirit,  [nisi  prteeunte 
Spiritus  testimonio,]  could  not  produce  this  persuasion  in  us.  For 
wliilst  tlio  Spirit  witnesses  that  we  are  tlic  sons  of  God,  he  at  the 
same  time  inspires  this  confidence  into  our  minds,  that  we  are  bold 
to  call  God  our  Father." — Calvin  on  Romans  viii,  16. 

"  Romans  viii,  16,  'The  Spirit  itself  bearcth  witness  with  our 
spirits  that  we  are  the  sons  of  God:'  the  witness  which  our  own 
spirits  do  give  unto  our  adoption  is  tlie  work  and  effect  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  us  ;  if  it  were  not,  it  would  be  false,  and  not  confirmed  by 
the  testimony  of  the  Spirit  himself,  who  is  tho  Spirit  of  truth.  '  And 
none  knowetii  the  things  of  God  but  the  Spirit  of  God,'  1  Cor.  ii,  11. 
If  he  dyclaro  not  our  sonship  in  us  and  to  us,  we  cannot  know  it. 
How  doth  he  then  bear  witness  to  our  spirits  ?  What  is  tiie  distinct 
testimony  ?  It  must  be  some  sucli-act  of  his  as  evidenceth  itself  to 
bo  from  him,  immediately,  unto  them  that  are  concerned  in  it,  that 
is,  those  unto  wliom  it  is  given  " — Dii.  Owen  on  the  Spirit,  sect.  9. 
.  "The  Spirit  of  adoption  doth  not  only  excite  us  to  call  upon  God 
as  our  Father,  bu  it  doth  ascertain  and  assure  us,  as  before,  tliat  we 
are  his  children.  And  this  it  doth  not  by  an  outward  voice,  as  God 
tlio  Fatiicr  to  Jesus  Christ,  nor  by  an  angel,  as  to  Daniel  and  the 
Virgin  Mary,  but  by  an  inward  and  secret  suggestion,  whereby  he 
raiseth  our  hearts  to  this  persuasion,  that  God  is  our  Father,  and  we 
are  his  children.  This  is  not  the  testimony  of  the  graces  and  operations 
of  the  Spirit,  but  of  the  Spirit  itself." — Poole  on  Romans  viii,  16. 


KEV.   JOHN  WESLEY. 


171 


Mr.  Wesley,  on  this  doctrine,  was  neither  rash  nor  incon- 
side  rate,  much  less  enthusiastic.  It  is  grounded  on  no 
forced,  no  fanciful  interpretation  of  Scripture ;  and  it  main- 
tains,  as  of  possible  attainment,  one  of  the  most  important 
and  richest  comforts  of  the  human  mind.  It  leaves  no 
doubt  as  to  a  question  which,  whilst  problematical,  must, 
if  we  are  earnest  in  seeking  our  salvation,  be  fatal  to  our 
peace ;  it  supposes  an  intercourse  between  God  and  the 
minds  of  good  men,  which  is,  surely  in  the  full  and  genuine 
spirit  of  the  Christian  religion,  eminently  culled  the  '-minis- 
tration  of  the  Spirit ;"  and  it  is,  as  taught  by  him,  vitally 
connected  with  soI)er,  practical  piety.  That,  like  the  doc- 
trine of  justification  by  faith  alone,  it  is  capable  of  abuse, 
is  very  true.  Many  have  perverted  both  the  one  and  the 
Other.  Faith  with  some  has  been  made  a  discharge  from 
duty  ;  and  with  respect  to  the  direct  witness  of  the  Spirit, 
fancy  has,  no  doubt,  been  taken,  in  some  instances,  for 
reality.  But  this  could  never  legitimately  follow  from  the 
holy  preaching  of  the  founder  of  Methodism.  His  view  of 
the  doctrine  is  so  opposed  to  license  and  real  enthusiasm, 
to  pride  and  self  sufficiency,  that  it  can  only  be  made  to 
encourage  them  by  so  manifest  a  perversion,  that  it  has 
never  occurred  except  among  those  most  ignorant  of  his 
writings.  He  never  encouraged  any  to  expect  this  grace 
but  the  truly  penitent,  and  he  prescribed  to  them  "fruits 
meet  for  repentance."  He  beUeved  that  justification  was 
always  accompanied  by  a  renewal  of  the  heart,  and  as  con- 
stantly taught,  that  the  comfort  "of  the  Holy  Ghost"  could  , 
remain  the  portion  only  of  the  humble  and  spiritual,  and 
was  uniformly  and  exclusively  connected  with  a  sanctify- 
ing and  obedient  f  aith.  He  saw  that  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit 
were  "love,  joy,  peace,"  as  well  as  "gentleness,  goodness, 
meekness,  and  faith  ;"  but  he  also  taught  that  all  who  were 
not  living  under  the  constant  influence  of  the  latter  would 
fatally  deceive  themselves  by  any  pretensions  to  the  former. 

Such  were  the  views  of  the  first  Methodists,  on  these 
important  points,  and  such  are  the  unchanged  opinions  of 
their  successors  to  this  day.  They  may  be  called  peculiari- 
ties, because  they  differed  in  some  respects  from  the  same 
doctrines  of  justification,  faith,  assurance,  and  sanctifica- 
tion,  when  associated  with  various  modifications  of  Calvin- 
isn) ;  and  although  somewhat  similar  doctrines  are  found 


172 


IIFK  OF  THE 


in  many  Arminian  writers,  yet  in  the  tli.jology  of  the  Wes- 
leys  they  derive  life  and  vigour  from  the  stronger  views 
of  the  grace  of  God  which  were  taught  them  by  their 
Moravian  and  Calvinistic  brethren. 

No  man  more  honestly  sought  truth  than  Mr.  Wesley, 
and  none  more  rigidly  tried  all  systems  by  the  law  and  the 
testimony.  As  to  authority  he  was  "  a  man  of  one  book ;" 
and  whatever  may  be  thought  peculiar  in  his  views,  he 
drew  from  that  source  by  the  best  application  of  his  judg- 
ment.* He  wanted  not,  however,  authority  of  another 
kind  for  his  leading  opinions.  On  the  article  of  justitica- 
tion  he  agreed  with  all  the  Reformed  Churches  ;  his  notion 
of  saving  faith  was  substantially  that  of  the  divines  of  the 
best  ages  of  the  Reformation,  and  of  still  earlier  times ; 
nor  was  his  doctrine  of  the  direct  witness  of  the  Spirit  to 
our  adoption  one  as  to  which  any  exclusive  peculiarity 
could  be  attributed  to  him,  except  that  he  more  largely  and 
zealously  preached  it  than  any  other  man  in  modern  times. 
It  was  the  doctrine  of  Luther,  Calvin,  Beza,  Arminius,  and 
others  of  equally  eminent  rank  abroad  and  at  home.  We 

*  The  following  beautiful  and  striking  passage,  illustrative  of  the 
above  remark,  is  from  the  preface  to  his  sermons : — 

"  To  candid,  reasonable  men,  I  am  not  afraid  to  lay  open  what  have 
been  the  inmost  thoughts  of  my  heart.  I  have  thought,  I  am  a  creature 
of  a  day,  passing  through  life,  as  an  arrow  through  the  air.  I  am  a 
spirit  come  from  God,  and  returning  to  God  :  just  hovering  over  the 
great  gulf ;  till,  a  few  moments  hence,  I  am  no  more  seen  !  I  drop 
into  an  unchangeable  eternity !  I  want  to  know  one  thing,  the  way 
to  heaven  :  how  to  land  safe  on  that  happy  shore.  God  himself  has 
condescended  to  teach  the  way  ;  for  this  very  end  he  came  from 
heaven.  He  hath  written  it  down  in  a  book  I  O  give  me  that  book  I 
At  any  price,  give  me  the  book  of  God  !  I  have  it :  here  is  knowledge 
enough  for  me.  Let  me  be  homo  unius  lihri.  [A  man  of  one  book. J 
Here  then  I  am,  far  from  the  busy  ways  of  men.  I  sit  down  alone  1 
only  God  is  here.  In  his  presence  I  open,  I  read  his  book  ;  for  this 
end,  to  find  the  way  to  heaven.  Is  there  a  doubt  concerning  the 
meaning  of  what  I  road  ?  Does  any  thing  appear  dark  and  intricate  ? 
I  lift  up  my  heart  to  the  Father  of  Lights. — Lord,  is  it  not  thy  word, 
'  If  any  man  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God.'  Thou  '  givest  liber- 
ally, and  upbraidest  not.'  Thou  hast  said,  '  If  any  be  willing  to  do 
thy  will,  he  shall  know.'  I  am  willing  to  do  :  let  mo  know  thy  will. 
I  flien  search  after  and  consider  parallel  passages  of  Scripture, 
♦comparing  spiritual  things  with  spiritual.'  I  meditate  thereon, 
with  all  the  attention  and  earnestness  of  which  my  mind  is  capable. 
If  any  doubt  still  remain,  I  consult  those  who  are  experienced  in  the 
things  of  God  ;  and  then,  the  writings,  whereby,  being  dead,  they 
yet  speak.    And  what  I  thus  learn,  that  I  teach." 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


173 


may  add  also  that  such  prelates  and  divines  as  Hooper, 
Andrews,  Hall,  Hooker,  Usher,  Brownrigg,  Wake,  Pear- 
son.  Barrow,  Owen,  and  Poole,  have  expressed  it  in  terms 
as  explicit,  and  with  equal  deference  to  the  testimony  of 
the  word  of  God. 

The  minutes  of  the  early  conferences  are  not  confined 
to  doctrinal  discussions  ;  but  we  see  in  them  the  frame  of 
the  discipline  of  the  body,  growing  up  fiom  year  to  year, 
and  embodied  in  many  copious  directions  and  arrange- 
ments. The  most  important  of  these  remain  in  force  to 
this  day,  although  some  in  a  maturer  state  of  the  society 
have  gone  into  disuse.  This  discipline  need  not  particu- 
larly be  specified,  as  being  for  the  most  part  well  known 
and  estabhshed ;  but  a  few  miscellaneous  particulars  may 
be  selected  from  the  minutes  of  several  successive  years, 
as  being  in  some  instances  of  great  importance,  and  in 
others  characteristic,  and  occasionally  amusing. 

The  duty  of  obeying  bishops  was  considered  at  the  very 
first  conference  of  1744  ;  and  the  conclusion  is,  that  this 
obedience  extends  only  to  things  indifferent ;  a  rather 
strict  narrowing  up  of  canonical  obedience,  at  this  early 
period. — The  establishment  of  "  a  seminary  for  labourers" 
was  a  subject  of  consideration  at  this  conference  also,  but 
was  postponed.  The  reasons  why  it  was  not  afterward 
carried  into  effect  appear  to  have  been,  the  rapid  spread 
of  the  work,  and  the  consequent  demand  for  additional 
preachers.  Mr.  Wesley  also  looked  to  Kingswood  school 
as  subsidiary  to  this  design.  In  the  meantime  he  enjoined 
the  study  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  poets  and  historians,  as 
well  as  the  original  Scriptures,  upon  the  preachers ;  and 
a  large  course  of  theological  and  general  reading.  This 
shows  his  views  as  to  the  subserviency  of  literature  to 
usefulness  in  the  ministry.* 

*  As  the  subject  of  a  seminary  or  college  has  been  of  late  brought 
under  discussion,  it  may  be  not  uninteresting  to  those  who  have  not 
access  to  the  manuscript  copies  of  the  first  mniutes,  extracts  from 
which  only  are  in  print,  to  givo  the  passages  which  relate  to  this  sub. 
ject  from  the  complete  minut°sof  1744  and  1745.  In  the  former  year 
it  ie  asked,  "  Can  we  have  a  seminary  for  labourers  ?"  and  the  answer 
is,  "  If  God  spars  us  till  another  conference."  The  next  year  the 
subject  was  resumed,  "  Can  we  have  a  seminary  for  labourers  yet  ?" 
Answer.  "  Not  till  God  gives  us  a  propsr  tutor."  So  that  the  institu- 
tion was  actually  resolved  upon,  and  delayed  only  by  circumstances; 
15* 


174 


LIFE  OP  THE 


No  preaching  was  to  be  continued  where  societies  were 
not  raised  up.  It  seems  to  have  been  a  fixed  maxim  with 
the  Wesleys,  not  to  spend  time  in  cuUivating  barren  ground. 
No  band  ticket  was  to  be  given  to  the  wearers  of  ruffles, 
— a  practice  which,  though  then  common,  accorded  not 
with  their  notions  either  of  good  taste,  or  of  the  duty  of 
economizing  money  in  order  to  charity. — Equal  strictness 
was  observed  as  to  the  dress  of  females.  Simplex  mun- 
ditiis  [plainness  with  neatness]  was  Mr.  Wesley's  classi- 
cal  rule ;  and  the  exclusive  "  ornament  of  a  meek  and 
quiet  spirit,"  his  Scriptural  one. — All  who  married  unbe- 
lievers were  to  be  expelled  from  society. — The  people 
were  required  not  only  to  stand  during  singing,  but  whilst 
the  text  was  read.  This  excellent  custom  now  continues 
only  in  Ireland. — Dram-drinking  and  pawnbroking  were 
also  sins  of  exclusion  :  so  that,  in  fact,  the  Methodist 
Societies  were  the  first  temperance  societies. — Reading 
was  enjoined  as  a  religious  duty,  and  every  preacher  was 
bound  to  circulate  every  new  book  published  or  recom- 
mended by  Mr.  Wesley ;  so  anxious  was  he  to  spread 
useful  knowledge  through  society,  and  to  improve  at  once 
the  intellects  and  the  hearts  of  his  people. — The  officers 
of  the  society  are  said  to  be  "clergymen,  assistants, 
helpers,  stewards,  leaders  of  bands,  leaders  of  classes, 
visiters  of  the  sick,  school  masters,  and  house  keepers." 
The  last  class  will  in  the  present  day  create  a  smile  ;  but 
at  that  time  their  business  was  to  reside  in  the  houses  built 
in  several  of  the  large  towns,  where  both  Mr.  Wesley  and 
the  preachers  took  up  their  abode  during  their  stay.  They 
were  elderly  and  pious  women,  who,  being  once  invested 
with  an  official  character,  extended  it  sometimes  from  the 
home  to  the  church,  to  the  occasional  annoyance  of  the 
preachers.  As  married  preachers  began  to  occupy  the 
houses,  they  were  at  length  dispensed  with. — Smuggling 
and  the  buying  of  uncustomed  goods  had  frequent  anathe- 
mas dealt  out  against  them,  and  expulsion  was  the  unmiti- 
gated penalty. — Respect  of  persons  was  strictly  forbidden 
to  the  preachers,  who  were  also  enjoined  to  be  easy  of 
access  to  all. — Every  preacher  was  to  promise  rather  to 
break  a  limb  than  to  disappoint  a  congregation. — No 
preacher  was  to  be  continued  who  could  not  preach  twice 
every  day. — He  was  to  take  care  that  only  suitable  tunes 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEV. 


175 


should  be  sung  ;  and  was  advised  to  use  in  public  only 
hymns  of  prayer  and  praise,  not  those  descriptive  of  states 
of  mind. — Lemonade  was  to  be  taken  after  preaching,  or 
candied  orange  peel,  or  a  little  warm  ale ;  but  egg  and  wine, 
and  late  suppers,  are  denounced  as  downright  poison. — 
The  views  entertained  of  a  call  to  the  ministry,  deserve 
quoting  in  full  : — 

"  Q.  How  shall  we  try  those  who  think  they  are  moved 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  called  of  God  to  preach  ? 

"A.  Inquire,  1.  Do  they  know  God  as  a  pardoning 
God  ?  Have  they  the  love  of  God  abiding  in  them  ?  Do 
they  desire  and  seek  nothing  but  God  ?  And  are  they  holy 
in  all  manner  of  conversation  ? 

"2.  Have  they  gifts  (as  well  as  grace)  for  the  work? 
Have  they  a  clear,  sound  understanding  ?  Have  they  a  right 
judgment  in  the  things  of  God  ?  Have  they  a  just  concep- 
tion of  salvation  by  faith  ?  And  has  God  given  them  any 
degree  of  utterance  ?  Do  they  speak  justly,  readily, 
clearly  ? 

"  3.  Have  they  fruit  ?  Are  any  ti'uly  convinced  of  sin, 
and  converted  to  God,  by  their  preaching  ? 

"  As  long  as  these  three  marks  concur  in  any,  we  believe 
he  is  called  of  God  to  preach." 

The  probation  of  the  preachers  was  at  first  one  year  ;  but 
was  afterward  extended  to  four. — The  following  minute 
of  1745  shows,  that  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  was  never  consi. 
dered  as  co-ordinate  with  his  brother  in  the  govei-nment  of 
the  societies  : — 

"  Q.  Should  not  my  brother /oZZow  me  step  by  step,  and 
Mr.  Meriton  (another  clergyman)  him? 

"  A.  As  liir  as  possible." 

What  Mr.  Wesley  was  next  to  write,  was  a  matter  on 
which  he  asked  the  advice  of  the  conference  for  several 
years. — A  little  stock  of  medicines,  to  be  dispensed  to  the 
l)oor,  was  ordered  to  be  provided  for  London,  Bristol,  and 
Newcastle.  It  is  not  generally  known  that  Mr.  Wesley 
pursued  a  course  of  regular  medical  study,  whilst  at 
Oxford. — Preachers  were  cautioned  against  giving  out  long 
hymns  ;  and  were  exhorted  to  choose  the  tunes,  that  so 
they  migiit  be  suitable  to  the  hymn. — Copies  of  the 
minutes  of  the  confei-ence  were  to  be  written  out  and 
given  to  each  member  present  :  when  the  number  of 


176 


LIFE  OF  THE 


preachers  increased,  printing  was  adopted.*    In  1749,  it 

seems  to  have  been  proposed  that  the  societies  every  where 
should  be  considered  one,  of  which  the  London  society 
should  be  the  mother  church.  This  however  came  to 
nothing.  The  societies  indeed  were  one,  but  the  centre 
of  union  was  first  Mr.  Wesley  himself,  then  the  conference 
of  preachers.  In  the  same  year  all  chapels  were  directed 
to  be  built  after  the  model  of  that  of  Rotherham,  and  the 
number  of  circuits,  each  very  extensive,  had  increased 
to  twenty-two. — Regular  funds  for  the  support  of  the 
preachers,  and  for  aiding  worn-out  preachers,  began  now 
to  be  estabhshed. — A  regular  settlement  of  the  chapels 
upon  trustees  had  been  enjoined  in  1749;  and  in  176.5,  a 
person  was  appointed  to  be  sent  through  England  to 
survey  the  deeds,  and  supply  wanting  trustees. — All 
chapel  windows  were  to  be  sashed  ;  no  "  tub  pulpits"  were 
to  be  allowed ;  and  men  and  women  were  every  where  to 
sit  apart. — The  societies  are  warned  against  little  oaths, 
such  as  "  my  life,"  "  my  honour,"  die,  and  against "  com- 
pliments," and  unmeaning  words. — In  general,  many  are 
reproved  for  talking  too  much,  and  reading  too  little. — In 
1776,  all  octagon  chapels  are  directed  to  be  built  like  that 
at  Yarm ;  and  all  square  ones  like  that  at  Scarborough. — 
No  Chinese  paling  was  to  be  set  up  before  any  chapel ; 
and  the  people  are  forbidden  to  crowd  into  the  preachers' 
houses,  as  though  they  wore  coffee  houses. — No  leaders' 
meeting  was  to  be  held  without  the  presence  of  a  preacher, 
and  the  spirit  of  debating  at  all  meetings  was  to  be  strictly 
guarded  against. — If  bankrupts  did  not  pay  their  debts 
when  they  are  able,  they  were  to  be  excluded  the  society. 
— Sluts  were  to  be  kept  out  of  the  preachers'  houses,  and 
cleanliness  was  held  to  be  next  to  godliness. 

Thus  to  a  number  of  little  things  among  many  greater 
and  weightier  matters,  the  active  mind,  the  taste,  and  the 
orderly  habits,  of  the  founder  of  Methodism  applied  itself. 
Eveiy  thing  was,  however,  kind  and  bland  in  his  manner 

*  Perhaps  not  more  than  one  or  two  manuscript  copies  of  the  com- 
plete minutes  of  the  conferences  from  1744  to  1747  are  in  existence. 
That  wliich  lies  before  mo,  and  from  which  extracts  have  been  made 
in  the  preceding  pages,  wants  two  or  three  of  the  first  pages  of  the 
minutes  of  1744.  It  was  not  written  by  Mr.  Wesley  ;  but  is  a  copy 
corrected  by  his  own  hand  in  different  places.  This  is  mentioned,  as 
several  of  the  extracts  will  bo  new  even  to  some  of  the  senior  preachers. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


177 


of  injunction  ;  and  when  he  was  disappointed  as  to  the 
exact  observance  of  his  regulations,  his  displeasure  was 
admirably  proportioned  to  the  weight  of  the  case.  No  man 
generally  knew  better  how  to  estimate  the  relative  import- 
ance of  things,  and  to  give  each  its  proper  place  and  rank, 
although  it  would  be  to  deny  to  him  the  infirmity  of  human 
nature  to  suppose  that  this  rule  of  proportion  was  always 
observed.  If  little  things  were  by  him  sometimes  made 
great  ;  this  praise,  however,  he  had  without  abatement,  that 
he  never  made  great  things  little. 

The  notices  of  the  deaths  of  the  preachers  year  by  year 
in  the  early  minutes,  all  bear  the  impress  of  the  brevity  and 
point  of  Mr.  Wesley's  style.  The  first  time  that  the  regular 
question,  "  What  preachers  have  died  this  year  ?"  appears, 
is  in  the  minutes  of  1777.  A  few  sketches  of  character 
from  this  laconic  obituaiy  in  different  years,  will  illustrate 
his  manner  of  keeping  these  annual  records  : — 

"  Thomas  Hosking,  a  young  man,  just  entering  on  the 
work  ;  zealous,  active,  and  of  an  unblamable  behaviour. 
And  Richard  Burke,  a  man  of  faith  and  patience,  made 
perfect  through  sufferings  :  one  who  joined  the  wisdom  and 
calmness  of  age,  with  the  simphcity  of  childhood." 

"Richard  Boardman,  a  pious,  good-natured,  sensible 
man,  greatly  beloved  of  all  that  knew  him.  He  was  one 
of  the  two  first  that  freely  offered  themselves  to  the  service 
of  our  brethren  in  America.  He  died  of  an  apoplectic 
fit,  and  preached  the  night  before  his  death.  It  seems  he 
might  have  been  eminently  useful,  but  good  is  the  will  of 
the  Lord. 

"  Robert  Swindells  had  been  with  us  above  forty  years. 
He  was  an  Israelite  indeed.  In  all  those  years  I  never 
knew  him  to  speak  a  word  which  he  did  not  mean ;  and 
he  alwa}^s  spoke  the  truth  in  love ;  I  believe,  no  one  ever 
heard  him  speak  an  unkind  word.  He  went  through  ex- 
quisite  pain  (by  the  stone)  for  many  years  ;  but  he  was  not 
weary.    He  was  still 

'  Patient  in  bearing  ill,  and  doing  well.' 
"  One  thing  he  had  almost  peculiar  to  himself ;  he  had  no 
enemy !    So  remarkably  was  that  word  fulfilled,  '  Blessed 
are  the  merciful;  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy.' 

"  James  Barry  was  for  many  years  a  faithful  labourer 
in  our  Lord's  vineyard.    And  as  he  laboured  much,  so  he 


176 


LIFE  OF  THE 


sulfered  much  ;  but  with  unwearied  patience.  In  his  death 
he  sufTered  nothing,  steahng  quietly  away  in  a  kind  of 
lethargy. 

"Thomas  Payne  was  a  bold  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ. 
His  temper  was  uncommonly  vehement ;  but  before  he 
went  hence,  all  that  vehemence  was  gone,  and  the  lion  was 
become  a  lamb.  He  went  away  in  the  full  triumph  of  faith, 
praising  God  with  his  latest  breath. 

"Robert  Naylor,  a  zealous,  active  young  man,  was 
caught  away  by  a  fever,  in  the  strength  of  his  years.  But 
it  was  in  a  good  hour ;  for  he  returned  to  Him  whom  his 
soul  loved,  in  the  full  assurance  of  faith. 

"  A  fall  from  his  horse,  which  was  at  first  thought  of 
little  consequence,  occasioned  the  death  of  John  Liver- 
more;  a  plain,  honest  man,  much  devoted  to  God,  and 
determined  to  live  and  die  in  the  best  of  services." 

"John  Prickard,  a  man  thoroughly  devoted  to  God, 
and  an  eminent  pattern  of  holiness :  and  Jacob  Rowell, 
a  faithful  old  soldier,  fairly  worn  out  in  his  Master's 
service." 

"  Thomas  Mitchell,  an  old  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ." 

"John  Fletcher,  [vicar  of  Madeley,]  a  pattern  of  all 
holiness,  scarce  to  be  paralleled  in  a  century ;  and  J.  Pea- 
cock, young  in  years,  but  old  in  grace ;  a  pattern  of  all 
holiness,  full  of  faith,  and  love,  and  zeal  for  God. 

"  Jeremiah  Robertshaw,  who  was  a  good  soldier  of  Je- 
sus Christ,  fairly  worn  out  in  his  Master's  service.  •  He 
was  a  pattern  of  patience  for  many  years,  labouring  under 
sharp,  and  almost  continual  pain,  of  meekness  and  gentle- 
ness to  all  men,  and  of  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity. 

"  Joshua  Keighley,  who  was  a  young  man  deeply  de- 
voted to  God,  and  greatly  beloved  by  all  that  knew  him. 
He  was 

'  About  the  marriage  state  to  prove, 
But  death  had  swifter  wings  than  love.' 

i'  Charles  Wesley,  who,  after  spending  fourscore  years 
with  much  sorrow  and  pain,  quietly  retired  into  Abraham's 
bosom.  He  had  no  disease  ;  but  after  a  gradual  decay  of 
some  months, 

'  Tho  weary  wheels  of  life  stood  still  at  last.' 
His  least  praise  was,  his  talent  for  poetry :  although 
Dr.  Watts  did  not  scruple  to  say,  that  '  that  single  poem. 


KEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


179 


Wrestling  Jacob,  was  worth  all  the  verses  he  himself  had 
written.' 

"  John  Ma3  ly,  worn  out  in  the  service  of  his  Master  : 
he  suffered  much  in  his  last  illness,  and  died  triumphant  in 
the  Lord." 

Thus  neither  his  brother  Charles,  nor  Mr.  Fletcher,  had 
a  longer  eulogy  than  any  other  preacher ; — so  great  was 
Mr.  Wesley's  love  of  brevity. 

The  "  care  of  the  Churches"  now  had  come  upon  him. 
and  was  increasing  ;  he  had  a  responsibility  to  man  as  well 
as  to  God  for  the  right  management  of  a  people  whom  his 
labours  and  those  of  his  coadjutors  had  formed  into  a  body 
distinct  from  the  National  Church,  and  indeed  as  to  all 
ecclesiastical  control  separate  from  it,  although,  in  part, 
the  members  were  attendants  on  her  services.  He  was 
most  anxious  that  this  people  should  be  raised  to  the  high- 
est state  of  religious  and  moral  excellence ;  that  they  should 
be  exemplary  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  civil  and  domestic ; 
wise  in  the  Scriptures ;  well  read  in  useful  books ;  self 
denying  in  their  conduct  almost  to  severity  ;  and  liberal  in 
their  charities,  in  order  to  which  they  were  enjoined  to 
abstain  from  all  unnecessary  indulgences,  and  to  be  plaii 
and  frugal  in  dress.  They  were  expected  to  rise  early  to 
a  religious  service  at  five  o'clock,  and  to  attend  some 
evening  service,  if  possible,  several  times  in  the  week  ;  and. 
beside  their  own  Sabbath  meetings,  to  be  punctual  in 
observing  the  services  of  the  Church.  They  were  to  add 
to  all  this  the  most  zealous  efforts  to  do  good  to  the  bodies 
and  souls  of  those  who  were  around  them  ;  and  to  per- 
severe in  all  these  things  with  an  ardour  and  an  unwea- 
riedness  equal  to  his  own.  With  these  great  objects  so 
strongly  impressed  upon  his  mind,  that  he  should  feel  com- 
pelled to  superintend  every  part  of  the  system  he  had  put 
into  operation,  and  attend  to  every  thing  great  or  little 
which  he  conceived  to  retard  or  accelerate  its  motion,  was 
the  natural  consequence,  and  became  with  him  matter  of 
imperative  conscience.  A  nobler  object  man  could  not 
propose  to  himself,  than  thus  to  spread  the  truth  and  the 
example  of  a  living  and  practical  Christianity  through  the 
land,  and  to  revive  the  spirit  of  piety  in  a  fallen  Church, 
and  among  a  neglected  people ;  and  lie  had  sufficient 
proofs  from  the  wonderful  sucroi-:s  wliieh  had  f^.iilowed  : 


180 


LIFE  OF  THE 


success  too  of  the  most  unequivocal  kind,  because  tho 
hearts  of"  multitudes  had  been  turned  to  the  Lord,"  that  he 
was  in  the  path  of  dut}',  and  that  the  work  was  of  God ; 
but  the  standard  which  he  set  up  in  his  own  mind  and  in 
his  rules,  both  for  his  preachers  and  people,  was  so  high, 
that,  in  the  midst  of  all  those  refreshing  joys  which  the 
review  of  the  work  often  brought,  feelings  of  disappoint- 
ment, and  something  like  vexation,  occasionally  break 
forth  in  the  minutes  of  his  conferences.  On  the  preach- 
ers in  their  circuits  an  activity,  an  occupation  of  time,  and 
an  attention  to  various  duties  had  been  enjoined,  similar  to 
his  own  ;  but  the  regulations,  under  which  they  were  placed, 
were  often  minute,  and  in  minor  matters  they  were  often 
failing,  even  when,  in  other  respects,  they  most  faithfully 
and  laboriously  fulfilled  their  ministry.  Stewards,  leaders, 
and  trustees,  come  in  also  occasionally  for  their  share  of 
remonstrance  and  rebuke  on  account  of  inattention ;  whilst 
the  societies,  as  being  exposed  to  the  various  errors  of  the 
day,  and  to  the  ordinary  influences  of  the  temptations  of  an 
earthly  state,  sometimes  declined,  and  then  again  revived  ; 
in  some  places  were  negligent,  and  in  others  were  almost 
every  thing  he  could  wish  them  to  be,  so  that  he  could  say, 
with  an  apostle,  respecting  them,  "  Great  is  my  glorying." 
To  Mr.  Wesley's  frequent  trials  of  patience  were  to  be 
added  the  controversies,  often  very  illiberal,  in  which  he 
was  engaged,  and  the  constant  misrepresentations  and  per- 
secutions, to  which  he  and  the  societies  were  for  many 
years  exposed.  When  all  these  things  are  considered,  and 
when  it  is  also  recollected  how  much  every  man  who  him- 
self works  by  a  strict  method  is  apt  to  be  affected  by  the 
irregularities  and  carelessness  of  others ;  the  full  and 
tranquil  flow  of  his  zeal  and  energy,  and  the  temper,  at 
once  so  strict  and  so  mild,  which  breathes  in  the  minutes 
of  the  conferences,  place  him  in  a  very  admirable  point  of 
light.  Vexation  and  disappointment  passed  over  his  serene 
mind  like  the  light  clouds  over  the  bright  summer  field. 
The  principle  of  an  entire  dcvotedness  to  serve  God,  and 
"  his  generation  according  to  the  will  of  God,"  in  him 
never  relaxed  ;  and  the  words  of  one  of  his  own  beautiful 
hymns,  to  which,  in  advanced  life,  in  a  conversation  with  a 
friend,  he  once  alluded,  as  expressing  his  own  past  and 
habitual  experience,  were  in  him  finely  realized  : — 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


181 


"Jesus,  confirm  my  heart's  desire, 

To  work,  and  speak,  and  think  for  thee ; 
Still  let  me  guard  the  holy  fire. 
And  still  stir  up  thy  gift  in  me. 
"  Ready  for  all  thy  perfect  will. 

My  acts  of  faith,  and  love  repeat, 
Till  death  thy  endless  mercies  seal, 
And  make  the  sacrifice  complete." 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  doctrines  and  principal  branches  of  the  discipHne 
of  the  body  being  generally  settled,  Mr.  Wesley  desisted 
from  publishing  extracts  from  the  minutes  of  the  annual 
conferences  from  1749  to  1765.  In  the  minutes  of  the 
latter  year  we  find  for  the  first  time  a  published  list  of  the 
circuits,  and  of  the  preachers.*  The  circuits  were  then 
twenty-jive  in  England,  extending  from  Cornwall  to  New- 
castle-upon-Tyne  ;  in  Scotland  four ;  in  Wales  two ;  in 
Ireland  eight ;  in  all  thirty-nine.  The  total  number  of  the 
preachers,  given  up  entirely  to  the  work,  and  acting  under 
Mr.  Wesley's  direction,  had  then  risen  to  ninety-two.  But 
it  will  be  necessary  to  look  back  upon  the  labours  of  the 
two  brothers  during  this  interval.  Instead,  however,  of 
tracing  Mr.  Wesley's  journeys  into  various  parts  of  the 
kingdom  in  detail  from  his  journals,  which  present  one 
uniform  and  unwearied  activity  in  his  high  calling,  it  will 
be  sufficient  to  notice  the  principal  incidents. 

Mr.  Charles  Wesley  married  in  1749,  yet  still  continued 
his  labours  with  but  little  abatement.  He  was  in  London 
at  the  time  of  the  earthquake,  and  was  preaching  at  the 
Founderv  early  in  the  morning  when  the  second  shock  oc- 
curred. The  entry  in  his  journal  presents  him  in  a  sublime 
attitude,  and  may  be  given  as  an  instance  of  what  may  be 
truly  called  the  majesty  of  faith :  "  March  8th,  1750.  This 
morning,  a  quarter  after  five,  we  had  another  shock  of  an 

*  In  the  manuscript  copy  of  the  first  minutes  before  mentioned, 
lists  of  circuits  occasionally  appear,  as  in  1746  : — "  How  many  cir- 
cuits are  there  ?  Answer. — Seven.  1.  London,  including  Surrey  and 
Kent.  2.  Bristol,  including  Som"rsetsliirj,  Portland,  Wiltshire,  Ox 
fordshire  and  Gloucestershire.  3.  Cornwall.  4.  Evesham,  including 
Shrewsbury,  Leominster,  Hereford,  Stroud,  and  Wednesbury.  5. 
York,  including  Yorkshire,  Ciieshire,  Lancashire,  Derbyshire,  Not. 
tinghamshire,  and  Lincolnshire.    6.  Newcastle.    7.  Wales." 


182 


LIFE  OF  THE 


earthquake  far  more  violent  than  that  of  February  8th.  I 

was  just  repeating  my  text,  when  it  shook  the  Foundeiy  so 
violently,  that  we  all  expected  it  to  fall  on  our  heads.  A 
great  cry  followed  from  the  women  and  children.  I  imme- 
diately called  out, '  Therefore  Ave  will  not  fear,  though  the 
earth  be  moved,  and  the  hills  be  earned  into  the  midst  of  the 
sea  ;  for  the  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us ;  the  God  of  Jacob 
is  our  refuge.'  He  filled  my  heart  with  faith,  and  my  mouth 
with  words,  shaking  tlftir  souls  as  well  as  their  bodies.  Tlie 
earth  moved  westward,  then  eastward,  then  westward  again, 
through  all  London  and  Westminster.  It  was  a  strong  and 
jarrinff  motion,  attended  Avith  a  rumbUng  noise  like  that  of 
thunder.  Many  houses  were  much  shaken,  and  some  chim- 
neys thrown  down,  but  without  any  farther  hurt."  (Journal.) 

The  impression  produced  in  London  by  this  visitation 
is  thus  recorded  in  a  letter  from  Mr.  Briggs  to  Mr.  John 
Wesley  : — "  This  great  city  has  been,  for  some  days  past, 
under  terrible  apprehensions  of  another  earthquake.  Yes- 
terday, thousands  fled  out  of  town,  it  having  been  confi- 
dently  asserted  by  a  dragoon,  that  he  had  a  revelation  that 
great  part  of  London,  and  Westminster  especially,  would 
be  destroyed  by  an  earthquake  on  the  4th  instant  between 
twelve  and  one  at  night.  The  whole  city  was  under  dire- 
ful apprehensions.  Places  of  Avorship  Avere  crowded  with 
frightened  sinners,  especially  our  tAvo  chapele,  and  theTa- 
bernacle,  Avhere  Mr.  Whitcfield  preached.  Several  of  the 
classes  came  to  their  leaders,  and  desired  that  they  Avould 
spend  the  night  with  them  in  prayer  ;  Avhich  Avas  done,  and 
God  gave  thern  a  blessing.  Indeed  all  around  Avas  awful. 
Being  not  at  all  convinced  of  the  prophet's  mission,  and 
having  no  call  from  any  of  my  brethren,  I  Avent  to  bed  at 
my  usual  time,  believing  I  Avas  safe  in  the  hands  of  Christ ; 
and  likewise,  that,  by  doing  so,  I  should  be  the  more  ready 
to  rise  to  the  preaching  in  the  morning ;  Avhich  I  did, 
praised  be  my  kind  Protector."  In  a  postscript  he  adds, 
"Though  croAvds  left  the  tnv.'n  on  Wednesday  night,  yet 
croAvda  Avere  left  behind  ;  multitudes  of  whom,  for  fear  of 
being  suddenly  overAvhelnied,  left  their  houses,  and  repair- 
ed  to  the  fields,  and  open  places  in  the  city.  Tower  Hill, 
Moorfields,  but  aboA'e  all,  Hyde  Park,  Avere  filled,  the  best 
part  of  the  night,  with  men,  women,  and  children,  lament- 
ing. Some,  Avith  stronger  imaginations  than  others,  mostlv 


REV.   JOHN  WESLEY. 


183 


women,  ran  crying  in  the  streets,  '  An  earthquake !  an 
earthquake !'  Such  distress,  perhaps,  is  not  recorded  to 
have  happened  before  in  this  careless  city.  Mr.  White- 
field  preached  at  midnight  in  Hyde  Park.  Surely  God  will 
visit  this  city  ;  it  w  ill  be  a  time  of  mercy  to  some.  O  may 
I  be  found  watching!"  (Whitehead's  Life.) 

So  ready  were  these  great  preachers  of  the  time  to  take 
advantage  of  every  event  by  which  they  might  lead  men 
to  God.  One  knows  not  which  n^ost  to  admire,  Mr. 
Whitefield  pi'eaching  at  midnight  in  Hyde  Park  to  a  crowd 
of  affrighted  people,  expecting  the  earth  to  swallow  them 
up ;  or  Mr.  Charles  Wesley,  with  the  very  ground  reeling 
under  him,  calling  out  to  the  congregation,  "Therefore 
will  we  not  fear,  though  the  earth  be  moved,  and  the  hills 
be  carried  into  the  midst  of  the  sea ;  for  the  Lord  of 
hosts  is  with  us;  the  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge;"  and 
using  this  as  his  text. 

The  detected  immorality  and  expulsion  of  one  of  the 
preachers,  James  Wlieatley,*  led  the  brothers  to  determine 
upon  instituting  a  more  strict  inquiiy  into  the  life  and  be- 
haviour  of  every  preacher  in  connection  with  them.  Mr. 
Charles  Wesley  undertook  that  office,  as  being  perhaps 
more  confident  in  his  own  discernment  of  character,  and 
less  influenced  by  affection  to  the  preachers.  The  result 
was,  however,  highly  creditable  to  them,  for  no  irregularity 
of  conduct  was  detected  ;  but  as  the  visitation  was  not  con- 
ducted, to  say  the  least  of  it,  in  the  bland  manner  in  which 
it  would  have  been  executed  by  Mr.  John  Wesley,  who 
was  indeed  alone  regarded  as  the  father  of  the  Connection, 
it  led,  as  might  be  expected,  to  bickerings.  Many  of  (he 
preachers  did  not  come  up  to  Mr.  Charles  Wesley's  no- 
tions of  attachment  to  the  Church  ;  some  began  to  wish 
a  little  larger  share  in  the  government ;  and  a  few  did  not 

*  Mr.  Wesley  has  liccn  ccnsurjd  by  some  persons  for  sanctioning 
the  publication  of  a  pamphlet  on  the  "  Duties  of  Husbands  and 
Wives,"  written,  as  they  supposed,  by  this  vi'r.''tched  man,  and  esps. 
cially  for  doing  this  after  the  misconduct  of  the  author  had  been 
brought  to  light.  But  the  charge  is  without  foundation.  The  pam- 
phlet in  question  was  not  written  by  Jamos  Wheatley,  the  preacher, 
but  by  William  Wliatehy,  tho  Puritan  minister  of  Banbury  ;  a  man  of 
the  most  exemplary  piety,  and  one  of  the  best  practical  writers  of  his 
ago,  whodi^'d  in  1639.  The  work  from  which  the  pamphk-t  was  ex. 
tracted  is  entitled,  "  A  Bride-Bush,"  and  bears  the  date  of  1619; 
which  was  at  least  a  hundred  years  before  Wheatley  was  born. 


184 


LIFE  OF  THK 


rise  to  his  standard  of  ministerial  abilities,  although  of  this 
he  judged  only  by  report.  From  this  time  a  stronger  feel- 
ing of  disunion  between  the  preachers  and  him  grew  up, 
which  ultimately  led  to  his  taking  a  much  less  active  part 
in  the  affairs  of  the  body,  except  to  interfere  occasionally 
with  his  advice,  and,  in  still  later  years,  now  and  then  to 
censure  the  increasing  irregularity  of  his  brother's  proceed- 
ings. The  fact  was,  Mr.  John  Wesley  was  only  carried 
forward  by  the  same  stream  which  had  impelled  both  tlie 
brothers  iri'etrievably  far  beyond  the  line  prescribed  to  re- 
gular Churchmen  ;  and  Charles  was  chafing  himself  with 
the  vain  attempt  to  buffet  back  the  tide,  or  at  least  to  ren- 
der it  stationary.  He  saw,  no  doubt,  during  the  visitation 
which  he  had  lately  undertaken,  a  growing  tendency  to 
separation  from  the  Church  both  among  many  of  the  preach- 
ers and  the  people,  which,  although  it  was  the  natural,  nay, 
almost  necessary,  result  of  the  circumstances  in  which 
they  were  placed,  he  somewhat  uncandidly  attributed  to 
the  ambition  of  the  former  ;  and,  laying  it  down  as  a  neces- 
sary qualification,  that  no  preacher  ought  to  be  employed 
without  giving  some  explicit  pledge  as  to  his  purpose  of 
adherence  to  the  Church,  he  attempted  to  associate  him- 
self  with  his  brother  in  the  management,  with  equal  power 
to  call  preachers  into  the  work,  and  then  to  govern  them. 
He  appears  laudably  to  have  wished  to  improve  their  ta- 
lents ;  but  he  proposed  also  greatly  to  restrict  their  num- 
ber, and  to  subject  them  to  stricter  tests  as  to  their  attach- 
ment to  the  Establishment.  Here  began  an  important 
difference  between  the  two  brothers.  Some  impression 
was  made  upon  the  mind  of  Mr.  John  Wesley  by  his  bro- 
ther's  letters  written  to  him  during  his  tour  of  inquisition, 
principally  as  they  exaggerated  the  growing  danger  of  sepa- 
ration from  the  Church ;  and  upon  Charles's  return  to 
London,  John  was  pei'suaded,  although  "  with  difficulty," 
to  sign  an  agreement,  engaging  that  no  preacher  should  be 
called  into  the  work  except  by  both  of  them  conjointly,  nor 
any  re-admitted  but  with  mutual  consent.  The  intention 
of  Charles  was  evidently  to  obtain  a  controlling  power  over 
his  brother's  proceedings  ;  but  there  was  one  great  rule  to 
which  Mr.  John  Wesley  was  more  steadily  faithful.  This 
was  to  carry  on  and  extend  that  which  he  knew  to  be  the 
work  of  God,  without  regarding  probable  future  conse- 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


185 


quences  of  separation  from  the  Church  after  his  death 
■which  was  in  fact  the  principle  on  which  they  had  agreed 
at  the  first  conference  of  1774,  {See  pages  115, 116,)  and 
to  which  Charles  stood  pledged  as  fully  as  himself.  It 
seems,  therefore,  that  when  Mr.  John  Wesley  more  fully 
discovered  his  brother's  intention  to  restrict  the  number  of 
preachers,  under  the  plea  of  employing  only  men  of  supe- 
rior abilities  ;  and  more  especially  after  all  that  had  passed 
between  Charles  and  them  during  the  inquisitorial  visita- 
tion just  named  had  been  reported  to  him,  he  felt  little 
disposed  to  assent  to  his  having  co-authority  with  himself 
in  the  management  of  the  connection  ;  and  Charles  with- 
drawing more  from  public  life,  the  government  remained 
with  John  still  more  exclusively  than  before.  This  acqui- 
sition  of  entire  authority,  as  it  has  been  called,  has  been 
referred  to  by  one  of  Mr.  Wesley's  biographers  as  a  proof 
of  his  ambition,  and  his  inability  to  bear  a  rival.  The  affec- 
tion of  the  brothers  itself  affords  a  strong  presumption 
against  the  existence  of  any  such  jealousy  between  them : 
and  beside  we  find  no  previous  instance  of  a  single  strug- 
gle for  authority.  But  the  fact  was,  that  John  always  led 
the  way,  as  sole  director,  with  Charles  as  a  confidential 
adviser ;  and  they  long  acted  together  in  this  relation  as 
with  one  soul.  In  the  present  case  it  w^as  Charles  only 
who  grasped  at  a  power  which  he  had  not  previously  pos- 
sessed ;  and  this  was  for  a  moment  yielded,  though  hesi- 
tatingly, upon  an  ex  parte  statement,  and  under  views  not 
'  fully  manifested.  When,  however,  those  were  disclosed, 
John  recoiled  ;  and  his  brother,  by  a  partial  secession  from 
the  work,  left  the  whole  care  of  it  upon  his  hands.  Mr. 
Charles  Wesley  had  indeed,  some  time  before  this,  rather 
hastily  interposed  to  prevent  the  marriage  of  his  brother 
with  a  very  pious  and  respectable  woman,  Mrs.  Grace 
Murray,  to  whom  he  was  attached,  and  that  probably  under 
the  influence  of  a  little  family  pride,  as  she  was  not  in  an 
elevated  rank  of  life;f  and  this  affair,  in  which  there  ap- 
pears to  have  been  somewhat  of  treachery,  although  no 

*  "  Church  or  no  Church,"  he  observes  in  one  of  his  letters  to 
Charles,  "we  must  attend  to  the  work  of  saving  souls."  And  in 
another,  "  I  neither  set  it  up,  nor  pull  it  down  ;  but  let  you  and  1 
build  the  city  of  God." 

t  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  and  Mr.  Whitefield  got  the  lady  hastily 
married  to  Mr.  Bennett,  one  of  tlie  preachers,  whilst  his  brother  was 
16* 


186 


LIFE  OP  THE 


doubt  well  intended,  had  for  the  first  time  interrupted  their 
harmony.  But  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  any  feeling  of  re- 
sentment  remained  in  the  mind  of  John  ;  and  indeed  the 
commission  of  visitation,  with  Avhich  Charles  had  been 

at  a  distance,  probably  not  being  himself  aware,  any  mors  than  she 
of  the  strength  of  his  attachment.  The  following  extract  from  one 
of  Mr.Wcsley's  unpublished  letters  shows,  however,  tliat  he  deeply  fi  lt 
it : — "  The  sons  of  Zoruiah  were  too  strong  for  me.  The  whole  world 
fought  against  me,  but,  above  all,  myoicn  familiar  friend.  Then  was 
the  word  fulfilled,  '  Son  of  man,  behold,  I  take  from  thee  the  desire 
of  tliino  eyes  at  a  stroke,  yet  slialt  thou  not  lament,  neither  shall  thy 
tears  run  down.'  The  fatal,  irrecoverable  stroke  was  struck  on 
Thursday  last.  Yesterday  I  saw  my  friend,  (that  was.)  and  bun  to 
whom  she  is  sacrificed.  'But why  should  a  living  man  complain,  a 
man  for  the  punislmicnt  of  his  sins  ?' "  The  following  passages,  from 
a  letter  of  the  venerable  vicar"  of  Shorcliam  to  Mr.  Charles,  intimite 
how  much  he  .sympatliized  with  Mr.  John  Wesley  on  the  occasion, 
and  how  anxious  he  was  to  prevent  a  breach  between  the  brothers, 
which  this, certainly  unbrotherly,  act,  t!ie  only  one  into  which  Charles 
seems  to  have  been  betrayed,  was  near  producing.  Tlie  h  ttcr  is  dated, 
Shoreham,  1749  : — "  Yours  came  this  day  to  liand.  I  leave  you  to 
guess  how  such  news  must  affect  a  person  whose  very  soul  is  one  with 
yours,  and  our  friend.  Let  me  conjurs  you  to  soothe  his  sorrows. 
Pour  nothing  but  oil  and  wine  into  his  wounds.  Indulge  no  views, 
no  designs,  but  what  tend  to  the  honour  of  God,  the  promoting  the 
kingdom  of  his  dear  Son,  and  the  healing  of  our  wounded  friend. 
How  would  the  Pliilistaies  rejoice  could  they  iiear  that  Saul  and 
Jonathan  were  in  danger  from  their  own  swords  !" 

I  have  seen  an  explanation  of  Mr.  Charles  Wesley's  conduct  in 
this  affair  by  the  late  Miss  Wesley ;  but  as  the  matter  occurred  before 
her  birlh,  I  have  much  doubt  as  to  her  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
circumstances,  so  that  I  shall  not  fully  state  it.  She  lays  the  fiult 
chiefly  on  the  lady's  want  of  explicitness  ;  states  that  she  had  formed 
a  previous,  but  concealed,  attachment  to  Mr.  Bennett ;  and  that  Mr. 
Charles  having  discovered  this,  he  hastened  the  marriage. 

Whatever  tlio  ostensible  reason  might  be,  it  was  no  doubt  eagerly 
seized  by  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  as  an  occasion  of  breaking  off  a  match, 
which  he  appcar.s  some  time  before  to  have  interfered  with,  influ. 
enced,  it  is  mast  probable,  by  the  consideration  of  Mrs.  Murray's 
inferior  rank.  From  this  f;;eling  Mr.  John  Wesley  was  much  more 
exempt,  as  the  following  anecdote,  found  in  one  of  Miss  Wesley's 
letters,  indicates  in  a  way  very  creditable  to  his  amiable  temper: — 
"  My  brother  Charles  had  an  attachment  in  early  youth  to  an  ami  ible 
girl  of  inferior  birth  ;  this  was  much  opposed  by  my  motlier  and  iicr 
family,  who  mentioned  it  with  concern  to  my  uncle.  Finding  from  my 
father  that  this  was  the  chief  objection,  my  uncle  only  replied, '  Then 
there  is  no  family  blood  ?  I  hear  the  girl  is  good  ;  but  of  no  f  imily?' 
'  Nor  fortune  cither,'  said  my  mother.  He  made  no  reply  ;  but  sent 
my  brother  a  sum  of  money  as  a  wedding  present ;  and  I  believe  sin- 
cerely regretted  that  he  was  ultimately  crossed  in  his  inclination  " 


REV.  JOHN  WESLKV. 


187 


invested,  was  a  sufficient  proof  that  confidence  had  been 
restored.  The  tme  reason  of  the  difference  was,  that  the 
one  wished  to  contract  the  work,  from  fear  of  the  probable 
consequence  of  separation  from  the  Church  ;  the  other 
pursued  his  course  of  enlarging  and  extending  it,  resolving 
to  prevent  separation  to  the  best  of  his  power,  but  leaving 
that  issue  in  higher  hands.  Still,  however,  the  affection 
of  the  brothers  remained  unimpaired. 

In  the  year  1751,  as  Mr.  Wesley  was  still  resolved  to 
marry,  believing  that  his  usefulness  would  be  thereby  pro- 
moted, he  took  to  wife  Mrs.  Vizelle,  a  widow  lady  of  inde- 
pendent fortune.  She  was  a  woman  of  a  cultivated  under- 
standing, as  her  remaining  letters  testify  ;  and  that  she  ap- 
peared to  Mr.  Wc  '.^y  to  possess  every  other  qualification, 
which  promised  to  increase  both  his  usefulness  and  happi- 
ness, we  may  conclude  from  his  having  made  choice  of  her  as 
his  companion.  We  must  suppose,  also,  that  as  be  never 
intended  to  relax  his  labours,  and  adopt  a  more  settled  mode 
of  life,  this  matter  also  was  fully  understood,  and  agreed  to 
before  marriage.  But  whatever  good  qualities  Mrs.  Wesley 
might  appear  to  have,  they  were  at  length  wholly  swallowed 
up  in  the  fierce  passion  of  jealousy.  For  some  time  she 
travelletl  with  him ;  but  becoming  weary  of  this,  and  not 
being  able  to  bind  him  down  to  a  more  domestic  lite,  this 
passion  increased.  The  violence  of  her  temper  broke  out 
also  against  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  and  his  wife.  This  arose 
from  very  trifling  circTimstances,  magnified  into  personal 
slights ;  and  various  unpleasant  scenes  are  mentioned  in 
Mr.  Charles  Wesley's  unpublished  letters,  and  described  with 
a  sprightliness  which,  whilst  it  shows  that  he  Avas  uncon- 
scious of  having  given  her  any  just  cause  of  offence,  equally 
indicates  the  absence  of  sympathy.  Perhaps  this  had  been 
worn  out  by  the  long  continuance  of  her  caustic  attacks 
upon  him  and  his  family,  both  byword  and  by  letter.  Cer- 
tainly Mr.  Charles  Wesley  must  have  felt  her  to  be  an  an- 
noying  correspondent,  if  we  may  judge  from  some  of  her 
letters  still  preserved,  and  in  which,  singular  as  it  may 
appear,  she  zealously  contends  for  her  husband's  superiority, 
and  is  indignant  that  he  should  be  wearing  himself  out  with 
excessive  labour,  whilst  Charles  was  lemaining  at  home 
in  ease.  Dr.  Southey  has  candidly  and  justly  stated  the 
matter  between  her  and  her  oersecuted  husband  : — 


188 


LIFE  OF  TIIR 


"  Had  Mrs.  Wesley  been  capable  of  understanding  her 
husband's  character,  she  could  not  possibly  have  been 
jealous ;  but  the  spirit  of  jealousy  possessed  her,  and  drove 
her  to  the  most  unwarrantable  actions.  It  is  said  that  she 
frequently  travelled  a  hundred  miles  for  the  purpose  of 
watching,  from  a  window,  who  was  in  the  carriage  with 
him  when  he  entered  a  town.  She  searched  his  pockets, 
opened  his  letters,  put  his  letters  and  papers  into  the  hands 
of  his  enemies,  in  liopes  that  they  might  be  made  use  of 
to  blast  his  character,  and  sometimes  laid  violent  hands 
upon  him  and  tore  his  hair.  She  frequently  left  his  house, 
and,  upon  his  earnest  entreaties,  returned  again  ;  till,  after 
having  thus  disquieted  twenty  years  of  his  life,  as  far  as  it 
was  possible  for  any  domestic  vexations  to  disquiet  a  man 
whose  life  was  passed  in  loco-motion,  she  seized  on  part 
of  his  journals,  and  many  other  papers,  which  were  never 
restored,  and  departed,  leaving  word  that  she  never  in- 
tended to  return.  He  simply  states  the  fact  in  his  journal, 
saying,  that  he  knew  not  what  the  cause  had  been  ;  and 
he  briefly  adds,  Noti  earn  reliqui,  non  dimisi,  non  revocabo ; 
'  I  did  not  forsake  her,  I  did  not  dismiss  her,  I  will  not 
recall  her.'  "  [Southey^s  Life.) 

The  worst  part  of  Mrs.  Wesley's  conduct,  and  which 
only  the  supposition  of  a  degree  of  insanity,  excited  by 
jealousy,  can  palliate,  Avas  that  she  interpolated  several 
letters,  which  she  had  intercepted,  so  as  to  make  them  bear 
a  bad  construction  ;  and  as  Mr.  Wesley  had  always  main- 
tained a  large  correspondence  with  all  classes  of  persons, 
and  among  others  with  pious  females,  in  some  of  whose 
letters  there  were  strong  expressions  of  Christian  affection, 
she  availed  herself  of  this  means  of  defaming  him.  Some 
of  these  she  read  to  different  persons  in  private,  and 
especially  to  Mr.  Wesley's  opponents  and  enemies,  adding 
extempore  passages  in  the  same  tone  of  voice,  but  talking 
care  not  to  allow  the  letters  themselves  to  be  read  by 
the  auditors ;  and  in  one  or  two  instances  she  published 
interpolated  or  forged  letters  in  the  public  prints.  How 
he  conducted  himself  amidst  these  vexations,  the  follow- 
ing passages  in  a  letter  from  Miss  Wesley  to  a  friend, 
written  a  little  before  her  death,  will  show.  They  are 
at  once  important,  as  explanatory  of  the  kind  of  annoy- 
ance to  which  this  unhappy  marriage  subjected  her  uncle. 


REV.  JOHN  WKSLEY. 


189 


and  as  containing  an  anecdote  strongly  illustrative  of  his 
character  : — 

"  I  think  it  was  in  the  year  1775  my  uncle  promised  to 
take  me  with  him  to  Canterbuiy  and  Dover.  About  this 
time  Mrs.  Wesley  had  obtained  some  letters  which  she 
used  to  the  most  injurious  purposes,  misinterpreting  spirit, 
ual  expressions,  and  interpolating  words.  These  she  read 
to  some  Calvinists,  and  they  were  to  be  sent  to  the  Morn- 
ing Post.  A  Calvinist  gentleman,  who  esteemed  my 
father  and  uncle,  came  to  the  former,  and  told  him  that, 
for  the  sake  of  religion,  the  publication  should  be  stopped, 
and  Mr.  John  Wesley  be  allowed  to  answer  for  himself. 
As  Mrs.  Wesley  had  read,  but  did  not  show  the  letters  to 
him,  he  had  some  doubts  of  their  authenticity  ;  and  though 
they  were  addressed  to  Mr.  John  Wesley,  they  might  be 
forgeries  ;  at  any  rate  he  ought  not  to  leave  town  at  such 
a  juncture,  but  clear  the  matter  satisfactorily. 

"  My  dear  father,  to  whom  the  reputation  of  my  uncle 
was  far  dearer  than  his  own,  immediately  saw  the  import- 
ance of  refutation,  and  set  oft"  to  the  Foundery  to  induce 
him  to  postpone  his  journey,  while  I,  in  my  own  mind, 
was  lamenting  such  a  disappointment,  having  anticipated 
it  with  all  the  impatience  natural  to  my  A  eai-s.  Never 
shall  I  forget  the  manner  in  which  my  father  accosted  my 
mother  on  his  return  home.  '  My  brother,'  says  he,  '  is 
indeed  an  extraordinary  man.  I  placed  before  him  the 
importance  of  the  character  of  a  minister  ;  the  evil  conse- 
quences which  might  result  from  his  indifference  to  it ; 
the  cause  of  religion  ;  stumbling  blocks  cast  in  the  way  of 
the  weak ;  and  urged  him  by  every  relative  and  public 
motive  to  answer  for  himself,  and  stop  the  publication. 
His  reply  was,  Brothei',  when  I  devoted  to  God  my  ease, 
my  time,  my  life,  did  I  except  my  reputation  ?  No.  Tell 
Sally  I  will  take  her  to  Canterbury  to-morrow.' 

"I  ought  to  add,  that  the  letters  in  question  were  satis- 
factorily proved  to  be  mutilated,  and  no  scandal  resulted 
from  his  trust  in  God." 

Some  of  these  letters  mutilated,  interpolated,  or  forged 
by  this  unhappy  woman,  have  got  into  different  hands,  and 
are  still  preserved.  In  the  papers  of  the  Wesley  family, 
recently  collected,  there  are,  however,  sufficient  materials 
for  a  ftdl  explanation  of  the  whole  case  in  detail ;  but  as 


190 


LIFE  OF  THE 


Mr.  Wesley  himself  spared  it,  no  one  will,  I  presume,  evei 
farther  disturb  this  unpleasant  affair,  unless  some  publica 
lion  on  the  part  of  an  enemy,  for  the  sake  of  gain,  or  tc 
gratify  a  party  feeling,  should  render  it  necessary  to  defend 
the  character  of  this  holy  and  unsuspecting  man.* 

A  school  at  Kingswood,  near  Bristol,  for  the  children  of 
the  poor,  had  been  long  built ;  but  that  neighbourhood  was 
afso  fixed  upon  by  Mr.  Wesley  for  an  institution,  in  which 
the  sons  of  the  preachers,  and  those  of  the  richer  Method- 
ists, should  receive  at  once  the  best  education,  and  the 
most  efficient  religious  training.  It  was  opened  in  June, 
1748,  and  he  published  soon  after  a  "  Short  Account"  of 
the  institution,  with  the  plan  of  education  adopted,  par- 
ticularly  for  those  who  were  to  i-emain  so  long  in  it  as  to 
go  through  a  course  of  academical  learning ;  and  adds, 

*  Tlio  following  passage,  in  a  letter  from  Mr.  Perronet  to  Mr. 
Charles  Wesley,  dated  Shoreham,  Nov.  3, 1752,  shows  that  Mr.  Wes. 
ley's  matrimonial  afflictions  must  have  commenced  a  very  short  time 
after  marriage : — "  I  am  truly  concerned  that  matters  are  in  so  melan- 
choly a  situation.  I  think  the  unhappy  lady  is  most  to  bs  pitied, 
though  the  gentlemnn's  caso  is  mournful  enough.  Their  sufferings 
proceed  from  widely  iliffi^ront  c  lusos.  His  aro  the  visible  chastise- 
ments of  a  loving  Father.  Iter's  the  immediate  effects  of  an  angry, 
bitter  spirit ;  and,  indeed,  it  is  a  sad  consideration,  that,  after  so  many 
months  liave  elapsed,  the  same  warmth  and  bitterness  should  remain." 
This  truly  ven"rjhle  and  holy  man  died  in  1785,  in  the  ninety-second 
year  of  his  Tn-o  days  liefore  his  death,  his  grand-daughter,  Miss 

Brig^s,  wlio  ■nih"\  him  'l:iy  ^nirl  night,  read  to  him  the  three  last 
chapt  I  S  e.i'  Is  li  iIk  Uo  t'l  u  cI'  sir  -d  her  to  go  into  the  garden,  to  take 
a  little  liesl!  air.  !jpnii  her  ri.tui  ]),  she  found  him  in  an  ecstacy,  with 
the  teers  running  down  liis  clicol;s,  from  a  deep  and  lively  sense  of  the 
glorious  tilings  which  s!ie  had  just  been  reading  to  him  ;  and  which, 
he  b:>lieve(l,  would  sliortly  be  fulfilled  in  a  still  more  glorious  sense 
than  lieretoforc.  Ho  continued  unspeakably  happy  all  that  day.  On 
Sunday,  his  liappincss  seemed  even  to  increase,  till  he  retired  to  rest. 
Miss  Briggs  then  went  into  the  room  to  sec  if  any  thing  was  wanting  ; 
and  as  slie  stood  al  the  f 'ct  of  tiic  bed,  lie  smiled  and  s  lid,  "  God  bless 
thee,  my  dear  cliild,  and  e.ll  th;it  belongs  to  tlioe  !  Yea,  lie  will  bles- 
thee!"  This  ho  earnestly  repeated  till  she  left  the  room.  When  slio 
went  in  tlio  next  morning,  his  happy  spirit  had  returned  to  God  ! 

Mr.  Perronet,  like  those  great  and  good  men,  Messrs.  Grimshaw 
and  Fletcher,  continued  steadily  attached  to  Mr.  Wesley  and  to  tlie 
Metliodists.  He  received  the  preachers  joyfully,  fitted  up  a  room  in 
the  parsonage  house  for  their  use,  and  attended  their  ministry  himself 
at  every  opportunity.  His  house  was  one  of  the  regular  places  of  the 
Kent  circuit,  and  so  continued  to  the  day  of  his  death.  All  his  family 
were  members  of  the  society,  and  two  of  his  sons  preachers. 


KBV.  JOHN  WESLEV. 


191 


"Whoever  carefully  goes  through  this  course  will  be  a 
better  scholar  than  nine  in  ten  of  the  graduates  at  Oxford 
and  Cambridge."  In  this  great  and  good  design  he  grasped 
at  too  much ;  and  the  school  came  in  time  to  be  confined 
to  the  sons  of  the  preachers,  and  ceased,  as  at  first,  to  re- 
ceive  boarders.  Indeed,  from  the  increase  of  the  preachers' 
families,  tlie  school  was  rapidly  filled,  and  required  enlarge- 
ment  at  diflerent  times ;  and  finally  it  was  necessary  to 
establish  a  second  school  at  Woodhouse  Grove,  in  Yorkshire. 
The  circumstance  of  the  preachers  being  so  much  from 
nome,  and  removing  every  one  or  two  years  from  their 
circuits,  rendered  an  institution  of  this  kind  imperative ;  and, 
as  it  necessarily  grew  out  of  the  system  of  itinerancy,  it 
was  cheerfully  and  liberally,  though  often  inadequately, 
supported  by  private  subscriptions,  and  a  public  annual 
collection  throughout  all  the  congregations.  The  most  grati- 
fying moral  results  have  followed ;  and  a  useful  and  religious 
education  has  been  secured  to  the  sons  of  the  preachers, 
many  of  whom,  especially  of  late  years,  having  afforded 
undeniable  proofs  of  genuine  conversion,  and  of  a  Divine 
call  to  public  labours  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  have  been 
admitted  into  the  ministry,  and  are  among  its  highest  orna- 
ments, or  its  brightest  hopes.  It  is  however  to  be  regretted 
that  the  original  plan  of  Mr.  Wesley,  to  found  an  institu- 
tion for  the  connection  at  large,  which  should  unite  the 
advantages  of  a  school  and  a  college,  has  not  been  resumed 
in  later  and  more  favourable  times.  Various  circumstances, 
at  that  early  period,  militated  against  the  success  of  this 
"excellent  project,  v,  hich  have  gradually  disappeared ;  and 
if  in  that  infant  state  of  the  cause,  Mr.  Wesley  wisely 
thought  that  Methodism  should  provide  for  all  its  wants, 
religious  and  educational,  within  itself;  much  more  in- 
cumbent is  it  to  do  so  now.  Many  of  the  sons  of  our  friends, 
for  want  of  such  a  provision,  have  been  placed  in  schools 
where  their  religious  principles  have  been  neglected  or  per- 
verted ;  and  too  often  have  been  taught  to  ridicule,  or  to  be 
ashamed  of,  the  religious  profession  of  their  fathers.* 

[*  The  striking  application  of  the  above  remarks  to  the  state  of 
tilings  in  relation  to  Methodism  in  this  country,  cannot  escape  the 
observation  of  intelligent  readers  ;  and  it  is  no  little  gratification  to 
perceive  that  the  testimony  of  both  Mr.  Wesley's  and  Mr.  Wat- 
son's  approbation  stands  thus  recorded  in  support  of  the  views 
which,  with  many  others  of  our  brethren  in  America,  we  have 


192 


LIFE  OF  THE 


In  1753,  Mr.  Wesley  visited  Scotland  a  second  time, 
and  preached  at  Glasgow  to  large  congregations.  He  had 
gone  there  on  the  invitation  of  that  excellent  man,  Dr. 
Gillies,  minister  of  the  College  kirk,  who,  a  few  days  after 
he  left,  wrote  to  him  as  follows  : — "The  singing  of  hymns 
here  meets  with  greater  opposition  than  I  expected.  Seri- 
ous people  are  much  divided.  Those  of  better  under- 
standing and  education  are  silent ;  but  many  others  are  so 
prejudiced,  especially  at  the  singing  publicly,  that  they 
speak  openly  against  it,  and  look  upon  me  as  led  to  do  a 
veiy  wrong  or  sinful  thing.  I  beg  your  advice,  whether  to 
answer  them  only  by  continuing  in  the  practice  of  the  thing, 
with  such  as  have  freedom  to  join,  looking  to  the  Lord  for 
a  blessing  upon  his  own  ordinance  :  or,  if  I  should  publish 
a  sheet  of  arguments  from  reason,  and  Scripture,  and  the 
example  of  the  godly.  Your  experience  of  the  most 
effectual  way  of  dealing  with  people's  prejudices,  makes 
your  advice  on  this  head  of  the  greater  importance. 

"  I  bless  the  Lord  for  the  benefit  and  comfort  of  your 
acquaintance,  for  your  important  assistance  in  my  His- 
torical Collections,  and  for  your  edifying  conversation  and 
sermons  in  this  place.  May  our  gracious  God  prosper  you 
wherever  you  are.  O  my  dear  sir,  pray  for  your  brother, 
that  I  may  be  employed  in  doing  something  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  His  glory,  who  has  done  so  much  for  me, 
and  who  is  my  only  hope." 

This  prejudice  in  favour  of  their  own  doggerel  version 
of  the  Psalms  of  David  generally  remains  among  the 
Scotch  to  this  day ;  and  even  in  the  Wesleyan  societies 
raised  up  there,  great  opposition  was  at  first  made  to  the 
use  of  hymns.  The  Historical  Collections  of  Dr.  Gillies, 
mentioned  in  his  letter,  do  justice  to  that  revival  of  religion 
in  this  country  of  which  Methodism  was  the  insti'ument, 
and  gives  many  valuable  accounts  of  similar  revivals,  and 
special  effusions  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  Churches  of 
Christ  in  different  ages. 

The  following  extracts  from  two  of  Mr.  Wesley's  letters 

steadily  entertained  and  frequently  expressed,  on  this  important 
subject.  The  public  developments  recently  made  of  the  fatal  con- 
sequences of  sending  Protestant  youth  to  seminaries  under  the 
direction  of  Papists  especially,  are  worthy  of  the  deepest  and  most 
serious  consideration. — Amer.  Edit.] 


REV.  JOHN  WESLISV. 


written  about  this  time,  show  how  meekly  tliis  admirable 
man  could  take  reproof;  and  with  how  patient  a  temper  he 
could  deal  with  peevish  and  complaining  men. 

"  You  give,"  says  he,  "  five  reasons  why  the  Rev.  Mr. 

P  will  come  no  more  amongst  us  :  1.  'Because  we 

despise  the  ministers  of  the  Church  of  England.'  This  I 
flatly  deny.  I  am  answering  letters  this  very  post,  which 
bitterly  blame  me  for  just  the  contrary.  2.  '  Because  so 
much  backbiting  and  evil-speaking  is  suffered  amongst  our 
people.'  It  is  not  suffered ;  all  possible  means  arc  used, 
both  to  prevent  and  remove  it.  3.  '  Because  I,  who  have 
written  so  much  against  hoarding  up  money,  have  put  out 
seven  hundred  pounds  to  interest.'  I  never  put  sixpence 
out  to  interest  since  I  was  born ;  nor  had  I  ever  one  hun- 
dred  pounds  together,  my  own,  since  I  came  into  the  world. 
4.  '  Because  our  lay  preachers  have  told  many  stories  of 
my  brother  and  me.'  If  they  did,  I  am  sorry  for  them  : 
when  I  hear  the  particulars  I  can  answer,  and  perhaps 
make  those  ashamed  who  believed  them.  5.  '  Because  we 
did  not  help  a  friend  in  distress.'  We  did  help  him  as  far 
as  we  were  able.  '  But  we  might  have  made  his  case  known 

to  Mr.  G  ,  Lady  H  ,  &c.'    So  we  did,  more  than 

once ;  but  we  could  not  pull  money  from  them,  whether 
they  would  or  no.  Therefore  these  reasons  are  of  no 
weight.  You  conclude  with  praying,  that  God  would  re- 
move pride  and  malice  from  amongst  us.  Of  pride  I  have 
too  much  ;  of  malice  I  have  none  :  however,  the  prayer  is 
good,  and  I  thank  you  for  it." 

The  other  letter  from  which  I  shall  give  an  extract  was 
written  apparently  to  a  gentleman  of  some  rank  and  influ- 
ence : — "  I  do  not  recollect,  for  I  kept  no  copy  of  my  last, 
that  I  charged  you  with  want  of  humility,  or  meekness. 
Doubtless  these  may  be  found  in  the  most  splendid  palaces. 
But  did  they  ever  move  a  man  to  build  a  splendid  palace  ? 
Upon  what  motive  you  did  this,  I  know  not ;  but  you  are 
to  answer  it  to  God,  not  to  me. 

"  If  your  soul  is  as  much  alive  to  God,  if  your  thirst 
after  pardon  and  holiness  is  as  strong,  if  you  are  as  dead 
to  the  desire  of  the  eye  and  the  pride  of  life,  as  you  were 
six  or  seven  years  ago,  I  rejoice ;  if  not,  I  pray  God 
you  may ;  and  then  you  will  know  how  to  value  a  real 
friend. 

17 


194 


LIFE  OF  TUK 


"  With  regard  to  myself,  you  do  well  to  warn  me  against 
'  popularity,  a  thirst  of  power  and  of  applause ;  against 
envy,  producing  a  seeming  contempt  for  the  conveniences 
or  grandeur  of  this  life ;  against  an  affected  humility ; 
against  sparing  from  myself  to  give  to  others,  from  no 
other  motive  than  ostentation.'  I  am  not  conscious  to 
myself,  that  this  is  my  case.  However  the  warning  is 
always  friendly ,  and  it  is  always  seasonable,  considering 
how  deceitful  my  heart  is,  and  how  many  the  enemies  that 
surround  me.  What  follows  I  do  not  understand : — '  You 
behold  me  in  the  ditch,  wherein  you  helped,  though  inno- 
cently, to  cast  me,  and  with  a  Levitical  pity  pass  by  on 
the  other  side.  He  and  you,  sir,  have  not  any  merit,  though 
Providence  should  permit  all  these  sufferings  to  work 
together  for  my  good.'  I  do  not  comprehend  one  line  of 
this,  and  therefore  cannot  plead  either  guilty,  or  not  guilty. 
I  presume,  they  are  some  that  are  dependent  on  me,  who, 
you  say, '  keep  not  the  commandments  of  God  ;  who  show 
a  repugnance  to  serve  and  obey ;  who  are  as  full  of  pride 
and  arrogance,  as  of  filth  and  nastiness  ;  who  do  not  pay 
lawful  debts,  nor  comply  with  civil  obligations  ;  who  make 
the  waiting  on  the  offices  of  religion,  a  plea  for  sloth  and 
'  idleness  ;  who,  after  I  had  strongly  recommended  them, 
did  not  perform  their  moral  duty,  but  increased  the  number 
of  those  incumbrances  which  they  forced  on  you,  against 
your  will.'  To  this  I  can  only  say,  1.  I  know  not  whom 
you  mean ;  I  am  not  certain  that  I  can  so  much  as  guess 
at  one  of  them.  2.  Whoever  they  are,  had  they  followed 
my  instructions,  they  would  have  acted  in  a  quite  different 
manner.  3.  If  you  Avill  tell  me  them  by  name,  I  will  re 
nounce  all  fellowship  with  them." 

In  the  autumn  of  1753,  Mr.  Wesley  was  threatened  with 
consumption,  brought  on  by  repeated  attacks  of  cold.  By 
the  advice  of  Dr.  Fothergill  he  retired  to  Lewisham ;  and 
here,  not  knowing  how  it  might  please  God  to  dispose  of 
him,  and  wishing  "  to  prevent  vile  panegyric"  in  case  of 
death,  he  wrote  his  Epitaph  as  follows : — 


REV.  JOHN  WBSLEY. 


19a 


THE  BODY  OF  JOHN  WESLEY, 
k  BRAND  PLUCKED  OUT  OF  THE  BURNING  ; 
WHO  DIED  OF  A  CONSUMPTION  IN  THE  FIFTY-FIRST 
YEAR  OF  HIS  AGE. 
NOT  LEAVING,  AFTER  HIS  DEBTS  ARE  PAID, 
TEN  POUNDS  BEHIND  HIM  : 
PRAYING, 

God  be  merciful  to  me  an  unprofitable  servant  ! 

He  ordered  that  this,  if  any,  inscription,  should  be  placed  on  his  tomb  stone. 

During  Mr.  Wesley's  illness,  Mr.  Whitefield  wrote  to 
him  in  a  strain  which  shows  the  fulness  of  affection  which 
existed  between  those  great  and  good  men,  notwithstand- 
ing their  differences  of  opinion  : — 

"  Bristol,  Dec.  3,  1753. 

"  Rev.  and  very  Dear  Sir, — If  seeing  you  so  weak 
when  leaving  London  distressed  me,  the  news  and  pros- 
pect of  your  approaching  dissolution  hath  quite  weighed 
me  down.  I  pity  myself  and  the  Church,  but  not  you.  A 
radiant  throne  awaits  you,  and  ere  long  you  will  enter  into 
your  Master's  joy.  Yonder  he  stands  with  a  massy  crown, 
ready  to  put  it  on  your  head,  amidst  an  admiring  throng  of 
saints  and  angels.  But  I,  poor  I,  that  have  been  waiting 
for  my  dissolution  these  nineteen  years,  must  be  left  behind 
to  grovel  here  below  !  Well !  this  is  my  comfort :  it  can- 
not be  long  ere  the  chariots  will  be  sent  even  for  worthless 
me.  If  prayers  can  detain  them,  even  you.  Rev.  and  very 
dear  sir,  shall  not  leave  us  yet :  but  if  the  decree  has  gone 
forth,  that  you  must  now  fall  asleep  in  Jesus,  may  iie  kiss 
your  soul  away,  and  give  you  to  die  in  the  embraces  of 
triumphant  love  !  If  in  the  land  of  the  dying,  I  hope  to  pay 
my  last  respects  to  you  next  week.  If  not,  Rev.  and  very 
dear  sir,  F — a — r — e — w — e — 11.  Ego  sequar,  etsi  non 
passibus  <Bquis.*  My  heart  is  too  big,  tears  trickle  down 
too  fast,  and  you  are,  I  fear,  too  weak  for  me  to  enlarge. 
Underneath  you  may  there  be  Clirisl's  everlasting  arms ! 

I  commend  you  to  his  never  failing  mercy,  and  am,  Rev. 
and  very  dear  sir,  your  most  affectionate,  sympathizing, 
and  afflicted  younger  brother  in  the  Gospel  of  our  common 
Lord,  G.  Whitefield." 

*  "  I  shall  follow,  though  not  with  equal  step*  " 


196 


LIKE  OF  THK 


From  Lewisham  he  removed  to  the  Hot  Wells,  near 
Bristol ;  and,  ever  intent  upon  improving  time,  began  his 
Notes  on  the  New  Testament.  For  some  time  after  this, 
he  appears  to  have  remained  in  an  invalid  state.  During 
his  retirement  at  Paddington  he  read  a  work  which  made 
a  forcible  attack  upon  his  prejudices  as  a  Churchman ; 
and  soon  afterward,  another,  which  still  farther  shook  the 
deference  he  had  once  been  disposed  to  pay  to  ecclesias- 
tical antiquity. 

"  In  my  hours  of  walking,  I  read  Dr.  Calamy's  Abridg- 
ment of  Mr.  Baxter's  Life.  What  a  scene  is  opened  there ! 
In  spite  of  all  my  prejudices  of  education,  I  could  not  but 
see,  that  the  poor  Nonconformists  had  been  used  without 
either  justice  or  mercy  ;  and  that  many  of  the  Protestant 
bishops  of  King  Charles  had  neither  more  religion  nor 
humanity  than  the  Popish  bishops  of  Queen  Mary." 

"  I  read  Mr.  Baxter's  History  of  the  Councils.  It  is 
utterly  astonishing,  and  would  be  wholly  incredible,  but 
that  his  vouchers  are  beyond  all  exception.  What  a  com- 
pany of  execrable  wretches  have  they  been,  (one  cannot 
justly  give  them  a  milder  title,)  who  have,  almost  in  every 
age  since  St.  Cyprian,  taken  upon  them  to  govern  the 
Church  !  How  has  one  council  been  perpetually  cursing 
another ;  and  delivering  all  over  to  Satan,  whether  prede- 
cessors or  contemporaries,  who  did  not  implicitly  receive 
their  determinations,  though  generally  trifling,  sometimes 
false,  and  frequently  unintelligible,  or  self-contradictory ! 
Surely  Mohammedanism  was  let  loose  to  reform  the  Chris- 
tians !  I  know  not  but  Constantinople  has  gained  by  the 
change." 

During  Mr.  Wesley's  illness,  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  went 
forth  to  visit  the  societies,  and  to  supply  his  brother's  place. 

In  1755,  at  the  conference  held  in  Leeds,  a  subject 
which  had  been  frequently  stirring  itself,  was  formally 
discussed  : — 

"The  point  on  which  we  desired  all  the  preachers  to 
speak  their  minds  at  large,  was,  whether  we  ought  to  se- 
parate from  the  Church.  Whatever  was  advanced  on  one 
side  or  the  other  was  seriously  and  calmly  considered  : 
and  on  the  third  day  we  were  all  fully  agreed  in  that  gene- 
ral conclusion,  that,  whether  it  was  lawful  or  not,  it  was 
no  ways  expedient." 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


197 


Part  of  the  preachers  were,  without  restraint,  permitted 
to  speak  in  favour  of  a  measure,  which,  in  former  confer- 
ences,  would  not  have  been  listened  to  in  the  shape  of 
discussion ;  and  the  conclusion  was,  that  the  question  of 
the  lawfulness  of  separation  was  evaded,  and  the  whole 
matter  was  reduced  to  "  expediency."  Of  this  confer- 
ence we  have  no  minutes ;  but  where  was  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley  '-'*  Mr.  Charles  Perronet  and  some  others,  for 
whom  Mr.  Wesley  had  great  respect,  were  at  this  time 
urging  him  to  make  full  provision  for  the  spiritual  wants  of 
his  people,  as  being  in  fact  in  a  state  of  real  and  hopeless 
separation  from  the  Church  ;  and  he  did  some  years  after- 
ward so  far  relax,  as  to  allow  of  preaching  in  Church 
hours  under  certain  circumstances,  as  1.  When  the  minister 
was  wicked,  or  held  pernicious  doctrine ;  2.  When  the 
churches  would  not  contain  the  population  of  a  town,  or 
where  the  church  was  distant.  In  that  case  he  prescribed 
reading  the  psalms  and  lessons  and  part  of  the  liturgy. 
And  for  this  purpose,  as  well  as  for  the  use  of  the  American 
societies,  he  published  his  Abridgment  of  the  Common 
Prayer,  under  the  title  of  the  "Sunday  Service  of  the 
Methodists." 

In  1756  he  printed  an  Address  to  the  Clergy,  plain,  . 
affectionate,  and  powerful ;  breathing  at  once  the  spirit  of 
an  apostle,  and  the  feeling  of  a  brother.  Happy  if  that 
call  had  been  heard !  He  might  perhaps  be  influenced  in 
this  by  a  still  lingering  hope  of  a  revival  of  the  spirit  of 
zeal  and  piety  among  the  ministers  of  the  Established 
Church  ;  in  which  case  that  separation  of  his  people  from 
the  Church,  which  he  began  to  foresee  as  otherwise  inevi- 
table, he  thought  might  be  prevented ;  and  this  he  had 
undoubtedly  much  at  heart.  Under  the  same  view  it  pro- 
bably  was  that  in  1764  he  addressed  a  circular  to  all  the 
serious  clergy  whom  he  knew,  inviting  them  to  a  closer 
co-operation  in  promoting  the  influence  of  religion  in  the 
land,  without  any  sacrifice  of  opinion,  and  being  still  at 
liberty,  as  to  outward  order,  to  remain  "  quite  regular,  or 

*  Three  years  after,  Mr.  Wesley  published  twelve  reasons  against 
separation,  all  however  of  a  prudential  kind.  To  these  Mr.  Cliarles 
■Wesley  added  his  separate  testimony  ;  but  as  to  himself,  he  adds  that 
he  thought  it  not  lawful.  Here  then  was  another  difference  in  thn 
views  of  the  brothers. 


198  LIFE  OF  THE 

quite  irregular,  or  partly  regular  and  partly  irregular."  Of 
the  thirty-four  clergymen  addressed,  only  three  returned 
any  answer.  This  seems  to  have  surprised  both  him  and 
some  of  his  biographers.  The  reason  is,  however,  very 
obvious  :  Mr.  Wesley  did  not  propose  to  abandon  his  plan 
and  his  preachers,  or  to  get  the  latter  ordained  and  settled 
in  curacies,  as  proposed  a  few  years  before  by  Mr.  Walker 
of  Truro  ;  and  the  matter  had  now  obviously  gone  too  far 
for  the  clergy  to  attach  themselves  to  Methodism.  They 
saw,  with  perhaps  clearer  eyes  than  Mr.  Wesley's,  that  the 
Methodists  could  not  now  be  embodied  in  the  Church  ;  and 
that  for  them  to  co-operate  directly  with  him,  would  only 
be  to  partake  of  his  reproach,  and  to  put  difficulties  in 
their  own  way,  to  which  they  had  not  the  same  call.  A 
few  clergymen,  and  but  a  few,  still  continued  to  give  him, 
with  fulness  of  heart,  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  and  to 
co-operate  in  some  degree  with  him.  Backward  he  could 
not  go  ;  but  the  forward  career  of  still  more  extended  use- 
fulness was  before  him.  From  this  time  he  gave  up  all 
hope  of  a  formal  connection  with  even  the  pious  clergy. 
"  They  are,"  he  observes,  "  a  rope  of  sand,  and  such  they 
will  continue ;"  and  he  therefore  set  himself  with  deep 
seriousness  to  perpetuate  the  union  of  his  preachers.  At 
the  conference  of  1769,  he  read  a  paper,  the  object  of 
which  was  to  bind  the  preachers  together  by  a  closer  tie, 
and  to  provide  for  the  continuance  of  their  union  after  his 
death.  They  wei-e  to  engage  solemnly  to  devote  them- 
selves  to  God,  to  preach  the  old  Methodist  doctrines,  and 
to  maintain  the  whole  Methodist  discipline  :  after  Mr.  Wes- 
ley's death  they  were  to  repair  to  London,  and  those  who 
chose  to  act  in  concert  were  to  draw  up  articles  of  agree- 
ment ;  whilst  such  as  did  not  so  agree  were  to  be  dismissed 
"  in  the  most  friendly  way  possible."  They  were  then  to 
choose  a  committee  by  vote,  each  of  the  members  of  which 
was  to  be  moderator  in  his  turn,  and  this  committee  was 
to  enjoy  Mr.  Wesley's  power  of  proposing  preachers  to  be 
admitted  or  excluded,  of  appointing  their  stations  for  the 
ensuing  year,  and  of  fixing  the  time  of  the  next  conference. 
This  appears  to  have  been  the  first  sketch  of  an  ecclesias- 
tical constitution  for  the  body,  and  it  mainly  consisted  in 
the  entire  delegation  of  the  power  which  Mr.  Wesley  had 
always  exercised,  to  a  committee  of  preachers  to  be  chosen 


HEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


199 


by  the  rest  when  assembled  in  conference.  The  form  of 
government  he  thus  proposed  was  therefore  a  species  of 
episcopacy,  to  be  exercised  by  a  committee  of  three,  five, 
or  seven,  as  the  case  might  be.  Another  and  a  more  ehgi- 
ble  provision  was  subsequently  made  ;  but  this  sufliciently 
shows  that  Mr.  Wesley  had  given  up  all  hope  of  union 
with  the  Church  ;  and  his  efforts  were  henceforth  directed 
merely  to  prevent  any  thing  like  formal  separation,  and  the 
open  renunciation  of  her  communion,  during  his  own  life, 
by  allowing  his  preachers  to  administer  the  sacraments. 

About  this  time  much  prejudice  was  excited  against 
Mr.  Wesley  in  Scotland  by  the  republication  of  Hervey's 
Eleven  Letters.  He  had  three  times  visited  this  coun- 
try ;  and,  preaching  only  upon  the  fundamental  truths  of 
Christianity,  had  been  received  with  great  affection.  The 
societies  had  increased,  and  several  of  his  preachers  were 
stationed  in  different  towns.  Lady  Frances  Gardiner,  the 
widow  of  Colonel  Gardiner,  and  other  persons  eminent 
for  piety  and  rank,  attended  the  Methodist  ministry ;  but 
the  publication  of  this  wretched  work  caused  a  temporary 
odium.  Hervey,  who  had  been  one  of  the  little  band  at 
Oxford,  became  a  Calvinist ;  and  as  his  notions  gi-ew  more 
rigid  with  age,  so  his  former  feelings  of  gratitude  and 
friendship  to  Mr.  Wesley  were  blunted.  He  had  also  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  Cudworth,  a  decided  Antinomian,  who 
"  put  in  and  out"  of  the  Letters  "  what  he  pleased."  They 
were  not,  however,  published  until  Hervey's  death,  and 
against  his  dying  injunction.  It  is  just  to  so  excellent  a 
man  to  record  this  fact ;  but  the  work  was  published  in 
England,  and  republished,  with  a  violent  preface  by  Dr. 
Erskine,  in  Scotland ;  and  among  the  Calvinists  it  produced 
the  effect  of  inspiring  great  horror  of  Mr.  Wesley  as  a 
most  pestilent  heretic,  whom  it  was  doing  God  service  to 
abuse  without  measure  or  modesty.  The  feelings  of  Mr. 
Charles  Wesley  at  this  treatment  of  his  brother  may  be 
gathered  from  the  answer  he  returned  upon  being  requested 
to  write  Hervey's  epitaph  : — 

on  BEING  DESIRED  TO  WRITE  AN  EPITAPH  FOR  MR.  JAMES  IIERVRV. 

"  O'er.reach'd,  impcll'd  by  a  sly  Gnostick's  art, 
To  stab  his  father,  guide,  and  faithful  friend; 
Would  pious  Hervey  act  the  accuser's  part  ? 
And  could  a  life  like  his  in  malice  end  ; 


200 


LIFE  OF  THE 


"  No  :  by  redeeming  love  the  snare  is  broke ; 
In  death  his  rasli  ingratitude  he  blames ; 
Desires  and  wills  the  evil  to  revoke, 

And  dooms  the  unfinish'd  libel  to  the  flames. 
"  Who  then  for  filtliy  gain  bctray'd  his  trust, 
And  show'd  a  kinsman's  fault  in  open  light  ? 
Let  hi7ii  adorn  tlie  monumental  bust, — 

The'  encomium  fair  in  brass  or  marble  write : 
"  Or  if  they  need  a  nobler  trophy  raise, 
As  long  as  Theron  and  Aspasio  live. 
Let  Madan  or  Romaine  record  his  praise  ; 

Enougli  that  AVcsley's  brother  can  forgive  ."'* 
The  unfavourable  impression  made  by  Hervey's  Letters, 
surcharged  by  Cudworth's  Antinomian  venom,  was  how- 
ever quickly  effaced  from  all  but  the  bigots ;  and  with 
them,  judging  from  Moncrief 's  Life  of  Erskine,  it  remains 
to  this  day.  In  his  future  visits  to  Scotland  Mr.  Wesley 
was  received  with  marks  of  the  highest  respect,  and  at 
Perth  he  had  the  freedom  of  the  city  handsomely  conferred 
upon  him. 

CHAPTER  XL 
Methodism  having  begun  to  make  some  progress  in 
America,  in  consequence  of  the  emigration  of  some  of  the 
*  Mr.  Charles  Wesley,  however,  afterward  wrote  and  published 
some  verses  upon  Mr.  Hervey's  death,  in  which  the  kind  recollections 
of  old  friendship  are  embodied,  and  the  anticipations  of  a  happy 
meeting  in  heaven  are  sweetly  expressed.  The  following  are  the 
concluding  stanzas : — 

"  Father,  to  us  vouchsafe  the  grace. 

Which  brouglit  our  friend  victorious  through  : 
Let  us  his  shining  footsteps  trace. 

Let  us  his  steadfast  faith  pursue  ; 
Follow  this  follower  of  the  Lamb, 
And  conquer  all  through  Jesus'  name. 
"  Free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death. 
Free  from  the  Antinomian  leaven, 
He  led  liis  Master's  life  beneath  ; 

And,  labouring  for  the  rest  of  heaven, 
By  active  love  and  watchful  prayer, 
He  show'd  his  heart  already  there. 
"  O  might  wo  all,  like  him,  believe. 

And  keep  the  faith,  and  win  the  prize .' 
Father,  prepare  and  then  receive 

Our  hallow'd  spirits  to  tlie  skies. 
To  chant  with  all  our  friends  above. 
Thy  glorious,  everlasting  love." 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


201 


members  of  the  society  from  England  and  Ireland.*  Mr. 
Wesley  inquired  of  the  preachers  at  the  conference  of 
1769,  whether  any  of  them  would  embark  in  that  service. 
Messrs.  Boardman  and  Pilmoor,  two  excellent  men,  of 
good  gifts,  volunteered  their  services,  and  were  sent  to 
take  the  charge  of  the  societies.  From  this  time  the  work 
spread  with  great  rapidity  ;  more  than  twenty  preachers 
had  devoted  themselves  to  it  previously  to  the  war  of  inde- 
pendence ;  and  societies  were  raised  up  in  Maryland, 
Virginia,  New-York,  and  Pennsylvania.f  During  the 
war  they  still  prosecuted  their  labours  ;  though  as  several 
of  them  took  the  side  of  the  mother  country,  they  were 
exposed  to  danger.:}:  Others,  with  more  discretion,  held 
on  their  way  in  silence,  speaking  only  of  the  things  of 
God.  The  warm  loyalty  of  Mr.  Wesley  led  him  to  pub- 
lish  a  pamphlet  on  the  subject  of  the  quarrel,  entitled, 

[*  Ireland  seems  to  have  had  the  special  honour  of  furnishing  the 
chief  instruments  in  formins:  the  first  Methodist  societies  in  Ame- 
rica. Mr.  Philip  Embury,  who  formed  the  first  permanent  society 
in  the  city  of  New-York,  in  1766,  and  Mr.  Robert  Strawhridge,  in 
Frederick  county,  Maryland,  in  the  same  year,  were  both  from  Ire> 
land. — American  Edit.] 

[t  New-Jersey,  and  we  think  Delaware,  ought  to  be  added  here ; 
and  in  1776  a  circuit  was  formed  ,  in  North  Carolina  also.  Dela. 
Vi^are  especially  ought  ever  to  be  honoured  by  us  for  her  generous 
and  early  protection  afforded  to  Methodism  in  the  time  of  its  greatest 
trial.  It  was  within  that  small  state,  where  the  laws,  (to  quote  the 
words  of  Mr.  Cooper,)  were  more  favourable,  and  the  rulers  and 
influential  men  more  friendly,  that  Mr.  Asbury,  when  the  storm  of 
the  revolutionary  war  was  at  its  heiglit,  and  persecution  raged  furi- 
ously, found  an  asylum  in  the  house  of  his  never-to-be-forgotten 
friend,  Judge  White. — American  Edit.] 

[t  Some  of  the  English  preachers  did  act  imprudently  in  this  respect, 
and  were  under  the  necessity,  in  consequence,  of  leaving  America. 
Mr.  Asbury's  course  was  marked  "  with  more  discretion  ;"  which  we 
are  happy  to  perceive  is  also  Mr.  Watson's  view  of  the  subject.  Of 
the  American  preachers,  there  is  no  evidence  within  our  knowledge 
that  any  of  them  "  took  the  side  of  the  mother  country  ;"  although 
some  of  them,  as  well  as  of  the  members,  were  subjected  to  suspicion 
and  persecution,  in  consequence  of  their  connection  with  Mr.Wesley, 
a  known  loyalist,  and  of  the  imprudence  of  some  of  the  English 
preachers  above  mentioned  ;  and  also  on  account  of  their  own  consci- 
entious scruples  in  relation  to  the  spirit  and  practice  of  war  in  gene, 
ral,  and  particularly  in  rogurd  to  the  nature  of  the  oaths  required  of 
them  in  some  of  the  states,  and  which  they  refused  to  take.  For  a 
fuller  account  of  those  times  and  scenes,  the  reader  may  consult  the 
Life  of  Garrettson  by  Dr.  Bangs,  and  a  small  volume  entitled  Cooper 
on  Asbury,  by  the  Rev.  Ezekiel  Cooper. — American  Edit.] 


202 


LIFB  OF  THE 


"  A  Calm  Address  to  the  American  Colonies  ;"  but  the 
copies  which  were  shipped  for  America  were  laid  hold  of 
by  a  friend,  who  suppressed  them ;  so  that  the  work 
remained  unknown  in  the  colonies  until  a  considerable 
time  afterward.  This  was  probably  a  fortunate  incident 
for  the  infant  cause.  After  the  war  had  terminated,  pohti- 
cal  views  were  of  course  laid  aside,  and  Mr.  Wesley  made 
a  provision  for  the  government  of  his  American  societies, 
which  will  be  subsequently  adverted  to.  They  became,  of 
course,  independent  of  British  Methodism,  but  have  most 
honourably  preserved  the  doctrines,  the  general  discipline, 
and,  above  all,  the  spirit  of  the  body.  Great,  and  even 
astonishing,  has  been  their  success  in  that  new  and  rising 
country,  to  the  widespread  settlements  of  which  their  plan 
of  itinerancy  was  admirably  adapted.  The  Methodists 
are  become,  as  to  numbers,  the  leading  religious  body  of 
the  Union  ;  and  their  annual  increase  is  very  great.  In 
the  last  year  it  was  thirty-six  thousand,  making  a  total  in 
their  communion  of  one  thousand  nine  hundred  ministers, 
and  four  hundred  and  seventy-six  thousand  members, 
having,  as  stated  in  a  recent  statistical  account  published 
in  the  United  States,  upward  of  two  millions,  five  Imn- 
dred  thousand  of  the  population  under  their  immediate 
influence.  In  the  number  of  their  ministers,  members,  and 
congregations,  the  Baptists  nearly  equal  the  Methodists ; 
and  these  two  bodies,  both  itinerant  in  their  labours,*  have 
left  all  the  other  religious  denominations  far  behind.  It  is 
also  satisfactory  to  remark,  that  the  leading  preachers  and 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  the  United  States 
appear  to  be  looking  forward  with  enlarged  views,  and 
with  prudent  regard,  to  the  future,  and  to  aim  at  the  cul- 
tivation of  learning  in  conjunction  with  piety.  Several 
colleges  have  been  from  time  to  time  established ;  and 
recently  a  university,  for  the  education  of  the  youth  of  the 

[*  As  regards  the  Baptists,  this  is  a  mistiike.  In  thoir  numbers 
too,  both  of  ministers  and  members,  however  respectable,  they  are, 
we  think,  much  less  nearly  cqunl  to  those  of  the  Methodist  commu. 
nion  than  our  excellent  author  seems  to  suppose.  In  making  a  cor. 
rect  statistical  comparison  of  the  number  of  ministers  particularly, 
in  the  two  communions,  on  the  principle  of  enumeration  which  we 
believe  our  Baptist  brethren  adopt,  all  the  local  as  well  as  the  itine- 
fant  ministers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ought  to  be  in. 
eluded ;  and  then  there  is  almost  no  compariBon.    We  make  not 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


203 


American  Connection  has  been  founded.*  The  work  in 
the  United  States  has  been  distinguished  by  frequent  and 
extraordinary  revivals  of  rehgion,  in  which  a  signal  effect 
has  been  produced  upon  the  moral  condition  of  large  dis- 
tricts of  country,  and  great  numbers  of  people  have  been 
rapidly  brought  under  a  concern  for  their  salvation.  In 
the  contemplation  of  results  so  vast,  and  in  so  few  years, 
we  may  devoutly  exclaim,  "  What  hath  God  wrought !" 

The  mention  of  what  are  called  revivals  of  religion  in 
the  United  States  may  properly  here  lead  us  to  notico, 
that,  in  Great  Britain  also,  almost  every  Methodist  society 
has  at  different  times  experienced  some  sudden  and  extra- 
ordinary increase  of  members,  the  result  of  what  has  been 
believed  to  be,  and  that  not  without  good  reason,  a  special 
efl'usion  of  Divine  influence  upon  the  minds  of  men. 
Sometimes  these  effects  have  attended  the  preaching  of 
eminently  energetic  preachers,  but  have  often  appeared 
where  those  stationed  in  the  circuits  have  not  been 
remarkably  distinguished  for  energy  or  pathos.  Some- 
times they  have  followed  the  continued  and  earnest  prayers 
of  the  people ;  at  others  they  have  come  suddenly  and 
unlooked  for.  The  effects  however  have  been,  that  the 
piety  of  the  societies  has  been  greatly  quickened,  and 
rendered  more  deep  and  active,  and  that  their  number 
has  increased ;  and  of  the  real  conversion  of  many  who 
have  thus  been  wrought  upon,  often  very  suddenly,  the 
best  evidence  has  been  afforded.  To  sudden  conversions, 
as  such,  great  objections  have  been  indeed  taken.  For 
these,  however,  there  is  but  little  reason  ;  for  if  we  believe 
the  testimony  of  Scripture,  that  the  Spirit  is  not  only  given 
to  the  disciples  of  Christ,  after  they  assume  that  character, 
but  in  order  to  their  becoming  such ;  that,  according  to 

this  nolo  witli  any  viow  or  disposition  to  disparage,  in  any  rosp3ct, 
tlie  numerous  and  respectable  denomination  to  which  it  relates  ;  but. 
simply  for  the  sake  of  what  we  believe  to  bo  duo  in  a  faithful  recoi-d 
of  historical  facts. — American  Edit.] 

[*  The  Wesleyan  University;  recontly  established  at  Middlatown, 
in  the  state  of  Connecticut,  is  by  no  means  designed  for  the  education 
of  the  youth  of  the  Methodist  Connection  exclusively.  It  is  founded 
on  the  general  principles  of  other  American  colleges  and  universities, 
and  for  the  education  of  youth  generally.  All  classes,  witliout  subjec- 
tion to  any  religious  test,  or  any  question  in  regard  to  their  roligion.-j 
tenets,  provided  only  their  moral  conduct  be  good,  are  admitted  on  the 
same  terms,  and  to  the  enjoyment  of  equal  privileges. — Am.  Edit.j 


204 


LIFE  OF  THE 


the  words  of  our  Lord,  this  Spirit  is  sent  "  to  convince  the 
world  of  sin,"  to  the  end  that  they  may  beheve  in  Christ ; 
and  that  the  Gospel,  faithfuUy  and  fuUy  proclaimed  by  the 
ministers  of  Christ,  is  "  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation 
to  every  one  that  believeth,"  and  is  made  so  by  the  accom- 
panying  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  who  shall  prescribe 
a  mode  to  Divine  operation  ?  Who,  if  he  believes  in  such 
an  influence  accompanying  the  truth,  shall  presume  to  say 
that  when  that  truth  is  proposed,  the  attention  of  the  care- 
less shall  be  roused  only  by  a  gradual  and  slow  process  1 — 
that  the  heart  shall  not  he  brought  into  a  state  of  right 
feeling  as  to  eternal  concerns,  but  by  a  reiteration  of 
means  which  we  think  most  adapted  to  produce  that 
effect  ? — that  no  influence  on  the  mind  is  genuine  and 
Divine,  if  it  operates  not  in  a  prescribed  manner  ? — that 
the  Holy  Spirit  shall  not  avail  himself  of  the  variety 
which  exists  in  the  mental  constitutions  of  men,  to  effect 
his  purposes  of  mercy  by  different  methods  ? — and  that  the 
operations  of  grace  shall  not  present,  as  weU  as  those  of 
nature,  that  beauteous  variety  which  so  much  illustrates 
the  glory  of  Him  "  who  worketh  all  in  all  ?"  And,  far- 
ther, who  shall  say,  that  even  the  peculiarities  of  men's 
natures  shall  not,  in  some  instances,  be  set  aside  in  the 
course  of  a  Divine  and  secret  operation,  which  touching 
the  springs  of  action,  and  opening  the  sources  of  feeling, 
gives  an  intensity  of  energy  to  the  one,  and  a  flow  to  tlie 
other,  more  eminently  indicative  of  the  finger  of  God  in  a 
work  which  his  own  glory,  and  the  humility  proper  to  man, 
require  should  be  known  and  acknowledged  as  His  work 
alone  ?  Assuredly  tliere  is  nothing  in  the  reason  of  the 
case  to  fix  the  manner  of  producing  such  effects  to  one 
rule,  and  nothing  in  Scripture.  Instances  of  sudden  con- 
version occur  in  the  New  Testament  in  sufficient  number 
to  warrant  us  to  conclude,  that  this  may  be  often  the  mode 
adopted  by  Divine  wisdom,  and  especially  in  a  slumbering 
age,  to  arouse  attention  to  long-despised  and  neglected 
truths.  The  conversions  at  the  day  of  pcntecost  were 
sudden,  and,  for  any  thing  that  appears  to  the  contrary, 
they  were  real ;  for  the  persons  so  influenced  were 
thought  worthy  to  be  "  added  to  the  Church."  Nor  was  it 
by  the  miracle  of  tongues  that  the  cflfect  was  produced.  If 
miracles  could  have  converted  them,  they  had  witnessed 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


205 


greater  than  even  that  glorious  day  exhibited.  The  dead 
had  been  raised  up  in  their  sight,  the  earth  had  quaked 
beneath  their  feet,  the  sun  had  hid  himself  and  made  an 
untimely  night,  and  Christ  himself  had  arisen  from  a  tomb 
sealed  and  watched.  It  was  not  by  the  impression  of  the 
miracle  of  tongues  alone,  but  by  that  supervenient  gracious 
influence  which  operated  with  the  demonstrative  sermon 
of  Peter,  after  the  miracle  had  excited  the  attention  of  his 
hearers,  that  they  were  "pricked  in  their  hearts,  and  cried, 
Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do 

The  only  true  rule  of  judging  of  professed  conversion  is 
its  fruits.  The  modes  of  it  may  vary  from  circumstances 
of  which  we  are  not  the  fit  judges,  and  never  shall  be, 
until  we  know  more  of  the  mystic  powers  of  mind,  and  of 
that  intercourse  which  Almighty  God,  in  his  goodness, 
condescends  to  hold  with  it. 

It  is  granted,  however,  that  in  such  cases  a  spurious 
feeling  has  been  often  mixed  up  with  these  genuine  visit- 
ations ;  that  some  ardent  minds,  when  even  sincere,  have 
not  sufficiently  respected  the  rules  of  propriety  in  their 
acts  of  worship  ;  that  some  religious  deception  has  taken 
place ;  that  some  persons  have  confounded  susceptibility 
of  feeling  with  depth  of  grace ;  that  censoriousness  and 
spiritual  pride  have  displaced  that  humility  and  charity 
which  must  exist  wherever  the  infl>ience  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  is  really  present ;  and  that,  in  some  cases,  a  real 
fanaticism  has  sprung  up,  as  in  the  case  of  George  Bell  and 
his  followers  in  London,  at  an  early  period  Methodism. 
But  these  are  accidents, — tares  sown  in  the  field  among 
tlic  good  seed,  which  were  never  spared  by  Mr.  Wesley 
or  his  most  judicious  successors.  In  the  early  stages  of 
their  growth  indeed,  and  before  they  assumed  a  decided 
cliaracter,  they  were  careful  lest,  by  plucking  them  up, 
they  should  root  out  the  good  seed  also  ;  but  both  in  Great 
Britain  and  in  America,  no  extravagance  has  ever  been 
encouraged  by  the  authorities  of  either  society,  and  no 
importance  is  attached  to  any  thing  but  the  genuine  fruits 
of  conversion. 

In  the  early  part  of  1770,  we  find  Mr.  Wesley,  as  usual, 
prosecuting  his  indefatigable  labours  in  different  parts  of 
the  kingdom,  and  every  where  diffusing  the  influence  of 
spirituality  and  zeal,  and  the  light  of  a  "sound  doctrine." 


208 


UFE  OP  THE 


His  journals  present  a  picture  of  unwearied  exertion,  such 
as  was  perhaps  never  before  exhibited,  and  in  themselves 
they  form  ample  volumes,  of  great  interest,  not  only  as  a 
record  of  his  astonishing  and  successful  labours,  but  fi'om 
their  miscellaneous  and  almost  uniformly  instructive  cha- 
racter. Now  he  is  seen  braving  tlie  storms  and  tempests 
in  his  journeys,  fearless  of  the  snows  of  winter,  and  the 
heats  of  summer;  then,  with  a  deep  susceptibility  of  all 
that  is  beautiful  and  grand  in  nature,  recording  tlie  plea- 
sures produced  by  a  smiling  landscape,  or  by  mountain 
scenery : — Here  turning  aside  to  view  some  curious  object 
of  nature ;  there  some  splendid  mansion  of  the  great ;  show- 
ing at  the  same  time  in  his  pious  and  often  elegant,  though 
brief  reflections,  with  what  skill  he  made  all  things  contri- 
bute to  devotion  and  cheerfulness.  Again,  we  trace  him 
into  his  proper  work,  preaching  in  crowded  chapels,  or  to 
multitudes  collected  in  the  most  public  resorts  in  towns,  or 
in  the  most  picturesque  places  of  their  vicinity.  Now  he 
is  seen  by  the  side  of  the  sick  and  dying,  and  then,  sur- 
rounded with  his  societies,  uttering  his  pastoral  advices. 
An  interesting  and  instructive  letter  frequently  occurs ; 
then  a  jet  of  playful  and  good-humoured  wit  upon  his  perse- 
cutors, or  the  stupidity  of  his  casual  hearers ;  occasionally, 
in  spite  of  the  philosophers,  an  apparition  story  is  given  as 
he  heai-d  it,  and  of  which  his  readers  are  left  to  judge ;  and 
often  we  meet  with  a  grateful  record  of  providential  escapes, 
from  the  falls  of  his  horses,  or  from  the  violence  of  mobs. 
Notices  of  books  also  appear,  which  are  often  exceedingly 
just  and  striking  ;  always  short  and  characteristic  ;  and  as 
he  read  much  on  his  journeys,  they  are  very  frequent.  A 
few  of  these  notices,  in  his  journal  of  this  year,  taken 
without  selection,  may  be  given  as  a  specimen  : — 

"  I  read  with  all  the  attention  1  was  master  of,  Mr. 
Hutchinson's  Life,  and  Mr.  Spearman's  Index  to  his 
Works.  And  I  was  more  convinced  than  ever,  1.  That 
he  had  not  the  least  conception,  much  less  experience,  of 
inward  religion  :  2.  That  an  ingenious  man  may  prove 
just  what  he  pleases,  by  wclUdevised  Scriptural  etymolo- 
gies :  especially  if  he  be  in  the  fashion,  if  he  afiect  to  read 
the  Hebrew  without  vowels  :  and,  3.  That  his  whole  hypo- 
thesis, philosophical  and  theological,  is  unsupported  by 
any  solid  proof. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


207 


« I  sat  down  to  read  and  seriously  consider  some  of  the 
writings  of  Baron  Swedenborg.  I  began  with  huge  preju- 
dice  in  his  favour,  knowing  him  to  be  a  pious  man,  one  of 
a  strong  understanding,  of  much  learning,  and  one  who 
thoroughly  believed  himself.  But  I  could  not  hold  out 
long.  Any  one  of  his  visions  puts  his  real  character  out  of 
doubt.  He  is  one  of  the  most  ingenious,  lively,  entertain- 
ing madmen,  that  ever  set  pen  to  paper.  But  his  waking 
dreams  are  so  wild,  so  far  remote  both  from  Scripture  and 
common  sense,  that  one  might  as  easily  swallow  the  stories 
of  Tom  Thumb,  or  Jack  the  Giant-killer. 

"  I  met  with  an  ingenious  book,  the  late  Lord  Lyttle- 
ton's  'Dialogues  of  the  Dead.'  A  great  part  of  it  I  could 
heartily  subscribe  to,  though  not  to  every  word.  I  believe 
Madam  Guion  was  in  several  mistakes,  speculative  and 
practical  too ;  yet  I  would  no  more  dare  to  call  her,  than 
her  friend  Archbishop  Fenelon,  '  a  distracted  enthusiast.' 
She  was  undoubtedly  a  woman  of  a  very  uncommon  under- 
.standing,  and  of  excellent  piety.  Nor  was  she  any  more 
*  a  lunatic,'  than  she  was  a  '  heretic' 

"  Another  of  this  lively  writer's  assertions  is,  '  Martin 
has  spawned  a  strange  brood  of  fellows,  called  Methodists, 
Moravians,  Hutchinsonians,  who  are  madder  than  Jack 
was  in  his  worst  days.'  I  would  ask  any  one  who  knows 
what  good  breeding  means,  Is  this  language  for  a  noble- 
man or  for  a  porter  ?  But  let  the  language  be  as  it  may, 
is  the  sentiment  just  ?  To  say  nothing  of  tlie  Methodists, 
(although  some  of  them  too  are  not  quite  out  of  their 
senses,)  could  his  lordship  show  me  in  England  many  more 
sensible  men  than  Mr.  Gambold,  and  Mr.  Okeley  ?  And 
yet  both  of  these  were  called  Moravians.  Or  could  he  point 
out  many  men  of  stronger  and  deeper  understanding  than 
Dr.  Horne  and  Mr.  William  Jones  ?  (if  he  could  pardon 
them  for  believing  the  Trinity !)  And  yet  both  of  these 
are  Hutchinsonians.  What  pity  is  it  that  so  ingenious  a 
man,  like  many  others  gone  before  him,  should  pass  so 
peremptory  a  sentence,  in  a  cause  which  he  does  not  under- 
stand !  Indeed,  how  could  he  understand  it  ?  How  much 
has  he  read  upon  the  question  ?  What  sensible  Methodist, 
Moravian,  or  Hutchinsonian,  did  he  ever  calmly  converse 
with  ?  What  does  he  know  of  them,  but  from  the  carica- 
tures  drawn  by  Bishop  Lavington,  or  Bishop  Warburton  ? 


208 


LIFE   OF  THE 


And  did  he  evei*  give  himself  the  trouble  of  reading  the 
answers  to  those  warm,  lively  men  ?  Why  should  a  good- 
natured  and  a  thinking  man  thus  condemn  whole  bodies 
of  men  by  the  lump  ?  In  this  I  can  neither  read  the  gen- 
tleman, the  scholar,  nor  the  Christian." 

"  I  set  out  for  London  ;  and  read  over  in  the  way  that 
celebrated  book, '  Martin  Luther's  Comment  on  the  Epistle 
to  the  Galatians.'  "I  was  utterly  ashamed.  How  have 
I  esteemed  this  book,  only  because  I  had  heard  it  so  com- 
mended by  others !  or,  at  best,  because  I  had  read  some 
excellent  sentences,  occasionally  quoted  from  it !  But  what 
shall  I  say,  now  I  judge  for  myself?  now  I  see  with  my 
own  eyes  ?  Why,  not  only  that  the  author  makes  nothing 
out,  clears  up  not  one  considerable  difficulty ;  that  he  is 
quite  shallow  in  his  remarks  on  many  passages,  and  muddy 
and  confused  almost  on  all :  but  that  he  is  deeply  tinctured 
with  Mysticism  throughout,  and  hence  often  dangerously 
wrong.  To  instance  only  in  one  or  two  points.  How 
does  he  (almost  in  the  words  of  Tauler)  decry  reason, 
right  or  wrong,  as  an  irreconcilable  enemy  to  the  Gospel 
of  Christ !  Whereas,  what  is  reason  (the  faculty  so  called) 
but  the  power  of  apprehending,  judging  and  discoursing  ? — 
which  power  is  no  more  to  be  condemned  in  the  gross, 
than  seeing,  hearing,  or  feeling.  Again,  how  blasphemously 
does  he  speak  of  good  works  and  of  the  law  of  God ; 
constantly  coupling  the  law  with  sin,  death,  hell,  or  the 
devil ;  and  teaching,  that  Christ  delivers  us  from  them  all 
alike.  Whereas  it  can  no  more  be  proved  by  Scripture, 
that  Christ  delivers  us  from  the  law  of  God,  than  that  he 
delivers  us  from  holiness  or  from  heaven.  Here  (I  appre- 
hend) is  the  real  spring  of  the  grand  error  of  the  Mora- 
vians. They  follow  Luther,  for  better  for  worse.  Hence 
their  '  No  vi'orks,  no  law,  no  commandment.'  But  who  art 
thou  that  '  speakest  evil  of  the  law,  and  judgest  the  law  ?' 

"I  read  over,  and  partly  transcribed,  Bishop  Bull's  'Har- 
monia  Apostolica.'  The  position  with  which  he  sets  out 
is  this,  '  that  all  good  works,  and  not  faith  alone,  are  the 
necessarily  previous  condition  of  justification,'  or  the  for- 
giveness of  our  sins.  But  in  the  middle  of  the  treatise  he 
asserts,  '  that  faith  alone  is  the  condition  of  justification ;' 
'  for  faith,'  says  he,  '  referred  to  justification,  means  all 
inward  and  outward  good  works.'    In  the  latter  end  he 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEV. 


209 


affirms,  '  that  there  are  two  justifications  :  and  that  only 
inward  good  works  necessarily  precede  the  former,  but 
both  inward  and  outward  the  latter.' " 

Mr.  Wesley  meant  this  brief  but  just  analysis  to  be 
Bishop  Bull's  refutation,  and  it  is  sufficient. 

"  Looking  for  a  book  in  our  college  library,  I  took  down, 
by  mistake,  the  Works  of  Episcopius ;  which  opening  on  an 
account  of  the  Synod  of  Dort,  I  believed  it  might  be  useful 
to  read  it  through.  But  what  a  scene  is  here  disclosed  ! 
I  wonder  not  at  the  heavy  curse  of  God,  which  so  soon 
after  fell  on  the  Church  and  nation.  What  a  pity  it  is, 
that  the  holy  Synod  of  Trent,  and  that  of  Dort,  did  not  sit 
at  the  same  time  ! — nearly  allied  as  they  were,  not  only  as 
to  the  purity  of  doctrine,  which  each  of  them  established, 
but  also  as  to  the  spirit  wherewith  they  acted ; — if  the 
latter  did  not  exceed. 

"  Being  in  the  Bodleian  library,  I  lit  on  Mr.  Calvin's 
account  of  the  case  of  Michael  Servetus ;  several  of 
whose  letters  he  occasionally  inserts  :  wherein  Servetus 
often  declares  in  terms,  '  I  believe  the  Father  is  God,  the 
Son  is  God,  and  the  Holy  Ghost-  is  God.'  Mr.  Calvin, 
however,  paints  him  such  a  monster  as  never  was,  an 
Arian,  a  blasphemer,  and  what  not ;  beside  strewing  over 
him  his  flowers  of  dog,  devil,  swine,  and  so  on,  which  are 
the  usual  appellations  he  gives  to  his  opponents.  But  still 
he  utterly  denies  his  being  the  cause  of  Servetus's  death. 
'  No,'  says  he  :  'I  only  advised  our  magistrates,  as  having 
a  right  to  restrain  heretics  by  the  sword,  to  seize  upon  and 
try  that  arch-heretic.  But  after  he  was  condemned,  I  said 
not  one  word  about  his  execution  !'  " 

The  above  may  be  taken  as  instances  of  his  laconic  re- 
views  of  books. 

Mr.  Wesley's  defence  of  the  power  he  exercised  in  the 
government  of  the  Methodist  societies  may  also  here  be 
given  ;  observing  that  it  is  easier,  considering  the  circum- 
stances in  which  he  was  placed,  to  carp  at  it,  than  to  find 
a  solid  answer.  Few  men,  it  is  true,  have  liad  so  much 
power  :  but  on  the  other  hand  he  could  not  have  retained 
it  in  a  perfectly  voluntary  society,  had  he  not  used  it  mild- 
ly and  wisely,  and  with  a  perfectly  disinterested  and  public 
spirit. 

«  What  is  that  power  ?    It  is  a  power  of  admitting  into 
IS* 


210 


LIFE  OF  THE 


and  excluding  from  the  societies  under  my  care  ;  of  chuOb- 
ing  and  removing  stewards  ;  of  receiving  or  not  receiving 
helpers  ;  of  appointing  them  when,  where,  and  how  to  help 
me,  and  of  desiring  any  of  them  to  confer  with  me  when  I 
see  good.  And  as  it  was  merely  in  obedience  to  the 
providence  of  God,  and  for  the  good  of  the  people,  that  I 
at  first  accepted  this  power,  which  I  never  sought ;  so  it 
is  on  the  same  consideration,  not  for  profit,  honour,  or 
pleasure,  that  I  use  it  at  this  day. 

" '  But  several  gentlemen  are  offended  at  your  having  so 
much  power.'  I  did  not  seek  any  part  of  it.  But  ^vhen 
it  was  come  unawares,  not  daring  to  bury  that  talent,  I 
used  it  to  the  best  of  my  judgment.  Yet  I  never  was 
fond  of  it.  I  always  did,  and  do  now,  bear  it  as  my  bur- 
den, the  burden  which  God  lays  upon  me ;  and  therefore 
I  dare  not  lay  it  down. 

"But  if  you  can  tell  me  any  one,  or  any  five  men,  to 
whom  I  may  transfer  this  burden,  who  can  and  will  do 
just  what  I  do  now,  I  will  heartily  thank  both  them  and 
you."    {Wesley's  Works.) 

This  year,  1770,  is  memorable  in  the  history  of  Me 
thodism,  for  having  given  birth  to  a  long  and  very  ardent 
controversy  on  the  doctrines  of  Calvinism.  It  took  its 
rise  from  the  publication  of  the  Minutes  of  tlie  Confer- 
ence, in  which  it  was  determined,  that,  in  some  particulars 
then  pointed  out,  the  preachers  had  "leaned  too  much  to 
Calvinism."  This  is  easily  explained.  Mr.  Whitefield, 
and  Howell  Harris,  the  early  coadjutors  of  the  Wesleys, 
became  Calvinists ;  but  the  affection,  which  existed  among 
this  little  band,  was  strong ;  and  as  they  all  agreed  in 
preaching,  what  was  at  that  time  most  needed,  the  doctrine 
of  salvation  by  faith,  "an  agreement"  was  made  at  a  very 
early  period,  between  the  Wesleys  and  Howell  Harris,  to 
forget  all  peculiarities  of  opinion  as  much  as  possible  in 
their  sermons,  to  use  as  far  as  they  could,  with  a  good  con- 
science, the  same  phrases  in  expressing  the  points  on 
which  they  substantially  agreed,  and  to  avoid  controversy. 
Such  an  agreement  shows  the  liberal  feeling  which  existed 
among  the  parties  ;  but  it  was  not  of  a  nature  to  be  so 
rigidly  kept  as  to  give  entire  satisfaction.  On  these  arti- 
cles of  peace,  we  find  therefore,  endorsed,  at  a  subsequent 
period,  in  the  hand- writing  of  Mr.  Charles  Wesley,  »  Vain 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


211 


agreement."  Mr.  Wesley's  anxiety  to  maintain  unity  of 
effort  as  well  as  affection  with  Mr,  Whitefield,  led  him 
also,  in  1743,  to  concede  to  his  Calvinistic  views,  as  far 
as  possible ;  and  he  appears  not  to  have  been  disposed  to 
deny,  though  he  says  he  could  not  prove  it,  that  some  per- 
sons might  be  unconditionally  elected  to  eternal  glory ; 
but  not  to  the  necessary  exclusion  of  any  other  from  salva- 
tion. And  he  was  then  "  inclined  to  believe"  that  there 
is  a  state  attainable  in  this  life,  "  from  which  a  man  can- 
not finally  fall."  But  he  was  subsequently  convinced  by 
the  arguments  of  Mr.  Thomas  Walsh,  that  this  was  an 
error.*  These  considerations  will  account  for  the  exist- 
ence of  what  Mr.  Wesley  called  "  a  leaning  to  Calvinism," 
both  in  himself,  itiid  among  some  of  the  preachers,  and 
rendered  a  review  of  the  case  necessary.f  Though  the 
leaders  had  approached  so  near  "  the  very  edge  of  Calvin- 
ism"  on  one  side,  and  "of  Antinomianism"  also,  with 
safety,  it  was  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  others  should 
overstep  the  line.  Beside,  circumstances  had  greatly 
changed.  A  strong  tide  of  Antinomianism  had  set  in, 
and  threatened  great  injury  to  practical  godliness  through- 
out the  land.  Dr.  Southey  attributes  this  to  the  natural 
tendency  of  Methodism  ;  but  here  he  shows  himself  only 
partially  acquainted  with  the  subject.   The  decline  of  reli- 

*  Mr.  Walsh  was  received  by  Mr.  Wesley  as  a  preacher,  in  1750, 
and  died  in  1759.  The  following  is  Mr.  Wesley's  character  of  him : — 
"  That  blessed  man  sometimes  preached  in  Irish,  mostly  in  English  ; 
and  wherever  he  preached,  whether  in  English  or  Irish,  the  word  was 
sharper  than  a  two-edged  sword.  So  that  I  do  not  remember  ever  to 
have  known  any  preacher,  who,  in  so  few  years  as  he  remained  upon 
earth,  was  an  instrument  of  converting  so  many  sinners  from  the 
error  of  their  ways.  By  violent  straining  of  his  voice,  he  contracted 
a  true  pulmonary  consumption,  which  carried  him  off.  O  what  a 
man  to  be  snatched  away  in  the  strength  of  his  years  !  Surely  tliy 
'judgments  are  a  great  deep  !' 

"  He  was  so  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  Bible,  that  if  he  was 
questioned  concerning  any  Hebrew  word  in  the  Old,  or  any  Greek 
word  in  the  New  Testament,  ho  would  tell,  after  a  little  pause,  not 
only  how  often  one  or  the  other  occurred  in  the  Bible,  but  also  what 
it  meant  in  every  place.  Such  a  master  of  Biblical  knowledge  I 
never  knew  before,  and  never  expect  to  see  again." 

t  Mr.  Wesley's  Sermon  on  Imputed  Righteousness  is  an  instance 
of  his  anxiety  to  approach  his  Calvinistic  brethren,  in  his  modes  of 
expression,  as  far  as  possible  ;  and  in  this  attempt  he  sometimes  laid 
himself  open  to  be  misunderstood  on  both  sides. 


212 


IIFE  OF  THE 


gion  among  many  of  the  Dissenting  Churches,  had  scat- 
tered the  seeds  of  this  heresy  all  around  them,  though  not 
without  calling  forth  a  noble  testimony  against  it  from 
some  of  their  ablest  ministers  ;  and  when  they  began  to 
feel  the  influence  of  the  revival  of  piety  in  the  last  century, 
the  tares  sprung  up  with  the  plants  of  better  quality.  The 
Calvinism  taught  by  Mr.  Howell  Harris,  and  Mr.  White- 
field,  was  also  perverted  by  many  of  their  hearers  to  sanc- 
tion the  same  error.  Several  of  the  evangelical  clergy, 
likewise,  who  had  no  immediate  connection  with  Mr. 
Wesley,  were  Calvinists  of  the  highest  grade ;  and  as 
their  number  increased,  their  incautious  statements  of  the 
doctrines  of  grace  and  faith,  carried  bej'ond  their  own 
intentions,  became  more  mischievous.  To  show,  how 
ever,  that  Antinomianism  can  graft  itself  upon  other  stocks 
beside  that  of  the  Calvinistic  decrees,  it  was  found  also 
among  many  of  the  Moravians ;  and  the  Methodists  did 
not  escape.  Wherever,  indeed,  the  doctrine  of  justifica- 
tion by  iaith  is  preached,  there  is  a  danger,  as  St.  Paul 
himself  anticipated  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  lest 
perverse,  vain,  and  evil  minds  should  pervert  it  to  licen- 
tiousness ;  heavenly  as  it  is  in  authority,  and  pure  in  its 
influence,  when  rightly  understood.  In  fact,  there  is  no  such 
exclusive  connection  between  the  more  sober  Calvinistic 
theories  of  predestination,  and  this  great  error,  as  some 
have  supposed.  It  is  too  often  met  with,  also,  among 
those  who  hold  the  doctrine  of  general  redemption ;  though 
it  must  be  acknowledged  that,  for  the  most  part,  such 
persons,  at  length,  go  over  to  predestinarian  notions,  as 
affording,  at  least,  some  collateral  confirmation  of  the 
solifidian  theory.  That  Calvinistic  opinions,  in  their 
various  forms,  were  at  this  time  greatly  revived  and  dif- 
fused, is  certain.  The  religious  excitement  produced  gave 
activity  to  theological  inquiries ;  and  speculative  minds, 
especiafly  those  who  had  some  taste  for  metaphysical  dis- 
cussions, were  soon  entangled  in  questions  of  predestina- 
tion, prescience,  necessity,  and  human  freedom.  The 
views  of  Calvin  on  these  subjects  were  also  held  by  many, 
who,  connecting  them  with  vital  and  saving  truths,  were 
honoured  with  great  usefulness ;  and  as  the  Wesleyan 
societies  were  often  involved  in  these  discussions,  and  in 
danger  of  having  their  faith  unsettled,  and  their  practical 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY, 


213 


piety  injured  by  those  in  whom  Calvinism  had  begun  to 
luxuriate  into  the  ease  and  carelessness  of  Antinomian 
license,  no  subject  at  that  period  more  urgently  required 
attention.  For  this  reason,  Mr.  Wesley  brought  it  before 
his  conference  of  preachers.  The  withering  effects  of 
this  delusion  were  also  strongly  pointed  out  in  his  sermons, 
and  were  afterward  still  more  powerfully  depicted  by  the 
master  pencil  of  Mr.  Fletcher,  in  those  great  works  to 
which  lie  now  began  to  apply  himself,  in  order  to  stem 
tlie  torrent.  Dr.  Southey  has  fallen  into  the  error  of 
imagining  that  Mr.  Fletcher's  descriptions  of  the  ravages 
of  Antinomianism  were  drawn  from  its  effects  upon  the 
Wesleyan  societies;  but  that  mistake  arose  from  his  not 
adverting  to  the  circumstance,  that  neither  Mr.  Wesley 
nor  Mr.  Fletcher  confined  their  cares  to  these  societies, 
but  kept  an  equally  watchful  eye  upon  the  state  of  reli- 
gion in  the  land  at  large,  and  consequently  in  the  Church 
of  which  they  were  ministers.  The  societies  under  Mr. 
Wesley's  charge  were  indeed  at  no  time  more  than  very 
partially  affected  by  this  form  of  error.  Still,  in  some 
places  they  had  suflered,  and  in  all  were  exposed  to  dan- 
ger; and  as  Mr.  Wesley  regarded  them,  not  only  as  a 
people  given  to  him  by  God  to  preserve  from  error,  but  to 
engage  to  bear  a  zealous  and  steadfast  testimony  "  against 
the  evils  of  the  time ;"  in  every  place  he  endeavoured  to 
prepare  them  for  their  warfare,  by  instructing  them  fully 
in  the  questions  at  issue. 

The  Minutes  of  1770  contained,  therefoi-e,  the  following 
passages  : — 

"  We  said,  in  1744,  '  We  have  leaned  too  much  toward 
Calvinism.'   Wherein  ? 

"  1.  With  regard  to  man's  faithfulness.  Our  Lord  him- 
self taught  us  to  use  the  expression.  And  we  ought  never 
to  be  ashamed  of  it.  We  ought  steadily  to  assert,  on  his 
authority,  that  if  a  man  is  not  '  faithful  in  the  unrighteous 
mammon,'  God  will  not  give  '  him  the  true  riches.' 

"  2.  With  regard  to  '  working  for  life.'  This  also  our 
Lord  has  expressly  commanded  us.  '  Labour,'  ipyat^edAs, 
literally,  '  work  for  the  meat  that  endureth  to  everlasting 
life.'  And  in  fact,  every  believer,  till  he  comes  to  glory, 
works  for  as  well  as  from  life. 

"  3.  We  have  received  it  as  a  maxim,  that  '  a  man  is  to 


214 


LIFE  OF  THE 


do  nothing  in  order  to  justification.'  Nothing  can  be  more 
false.  Whoever  desires  to  find  favour  with  God  should 
'cease  from  evil,  and  learn  to  do  vv^ell.'  Whoever  repents 
should  do  '  works  meet  for  repentance.'  And  if  this  is  not 
in  order  to  find  favour,  what  does  he  do  them  for  f 

"  Review  the  whole  affair. 

"  1.  Who  of  us  is  now  accepted  of  God? 

"  He  that  now  believes  in  Christ,  with  a  loving  and 
obedient  heart, 

"  2.  But  who  among  those  that  never  heard  of  Christ  ? 

"  He  that  feareth  God  and  worketh  righteousness  ac- 
cording  to  the  light  he  has. 

"  3.  Is  this  the  same  with  '  he  that  is  sincere  ?' 

"  Nearly,  if  not  quite. 

"  4.  Is  not  this  '  salvation  by  works  ?' 

"  Not  by  the  merit  of  works,  but  by  works  as  a  condition. 

"  6.  What  have  we  then  been  disputing  about  for  these 
thirty  years  ? 

"  I  am  afraid,  about  words. 

"  7.  The  grand  objection  to  one  of  the  preceding  pro- 
positions is  drawn  from  matter  of  fact.  God  does  in  fact 
justify  those  who,  by  their  own  confession,  neither  feared 
God  nor  wrought  righteousness.  Is  this  an  exception  to 
the  general  rule  ? 

"  It  is  a  doubt,  whether  God  makes  any  exception  at  all. 
But  how  are  we  sure  that  the  person  in  question  never  did 
fear  God  and  work  righteousness  ?  His  own  saying  so  is 
not  proof  :  for  we  know  how  all  that  are  convinced  of  sin 
undervalue  themselves  in  every  respect. 

"  8.  Does  not  talking  of  a  justified  or  a  sanctified  state 
tend  to  mislead  men?  almost  naturally  leading  them  to 
trust  in  what  was  done  in  one  moment  ?  Whereas  we  are 
every  hour  and  every  moment  pleasing  or  displeasing  to 
God,  'according  to  our  works;' — according  to  the  whole 
of  our  inward  tempers,  and  our  outward  behaviour." 

That  these  were  passages  calculated  to  awaken  suspi- 
cion, and  that  they  gave  the  appearance  of  inconsistency 
to  Mr.  Wesley's  opinions,  and  indicated  a  tendency  to  run 
to  one  extreme,  in  order  to  avoid  another, — an  error  which 
Mr.  Wesley  more  generally  avoided  than  most  men, — can- 
not be  denied.  They,  however,  when  fairly  examined, 
expressed  nothing  but  what  is  found  in  substance  in  the 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


215 


doctrinal  conversations  at  the  conferences  from  1744  to 
1747  ;  but  the  sentiments  were  put  in  a  stronger  form,  and 
were  made  to  bear  directly  against  the  Antinomian  opinions 
of  the  day.  To  "  man's  faithfulness"  nothing  surely 
could  be  reasonably  objected  ;  it  is  enjoined  upon  believers 
in  the  whole  Gospel,  and  might  have  been  known  by  the 
objectors  to  have  been  always  held  by  Mr.  Wesley,  but  so 
as  necessarily  to  imply  a  constant  dependence  upon  the 
influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  That  the  rewards  of  eternity 
are  also  to  be  distributed  in  higher  or  lower  degrees 
according  to  the  obedient  works  of  believers,  yet  still  on  a 
principle  of  grace,  is  a  doctrine  held  by  divines  of  almost 
every  class,  and  is  confirmed  by  many  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture. To  the  Antinomian  notion,  that  a  man  is  to  do 
nothing  in  order  to  justification,  Mr.  Wesley  opposes  the 
same  sentiment  which  he  held  in  1744,  that  previously  to 
justification  men  must  repent,  and,  if  there  be  opportunit}', 
do  works  meet  for  repentance ;  and  when  he  asks,  "  if 
they  do  them  not  in  order  to  justification,  what  do  they  do 
them  for  ?" — these  words  are  far  enough  from  intimating 
that  such  works  are  meritorious,  although  they  are  capable 
of  beingmisunderstood.  Repentance  is  indeed  a  condition  of 
justification,  as  well  as  faith,  but  indirectly  and  remotely, — 
"  Repent  ye  and  believe  the  Gospel ;"  and  seeing  that  Mr. 
Wesley,  so  expressly  in  the  same  page,  shuts  out  the 
merit  of  works,  no  one  could  be  justly  offended  with  this 
statement  (except  as  far  as  the  phrase  is  concerned)  who 
did  not  embrace  some  obvious  form  of  practical  error. 

The  doctrine  of  the  acceptance  of  such  heathens  as 
"  fear  God  and  work  righteousness,"  might  be  offensive  to 
those  who  shut  out  all  heathens,  as  such,  from  the  mercies 
of  God, — a  tenet,  however,  wliich  is  not  necessarily  con- 
nected with  Calvinism  ;  and  it  ought  not  to  have  been  ob. 
jected  to  by  others,  unless  Mr.  Wesley  had  stated,  as  some 
of  his  opponents  understood  him  to  do,  that  "a  heathen 
might  be  saved  without  a  Saviour."  No  such  thought  was 
ever  entertained  by  him,  as  Mr.  Fletcher  observes  in  his 
defence  ;  for  he  held  that  whenever  a  heathen  is  accepted, 
it  is  merely  through  the  merits  of  Christ,  although  it  is  in 
connection  with  his  "  fearing  God,  and  working  righteous- 
ness." " '  But  how  comes  he  to  see  that  God  is  to  be 
feared,  and  that  righteousness  is  his  delight  V  Because  a 


216 


LIFE  OF  THE 


beam  of  our  Sun  of  righteousness  shines  in  his  darkness. 
All  is  therefore  of  grace  ;  the  light,  the  works  of  righteous- 
ness done  by  that  light,  and  acceptance  in  consequence  of 
them,"  (Fletcher^s  Works.) 

But  when  the  Minutes  went  on  to  state  that  this  shows 
that  salvation  is  by  works  as  a  ^'■condition,  though  not 
by  the  merit  of  works,"  the  highest  point  of  heresy  was 
supposed  to  be  reached.  Yet  from  this  charge,  though 
it  derived  some  colour  from  a  paradoxical  mode  of  ex- 
pression not  to  be  commended,  Mr.  Fletcher  brings  off  his 
friend  unhurt : — 

"  Our  Church  expresses  herself  more  fully  on  this  head 
in  the  Homily  on  Salvation,  to  which  the  article  refers. 
'  St.  Paul,'  says  she,  '  declares  nothing  [necessaiy]  on  the 
behalf  of  man  concerning  his  justification,  but  only  a  true 
and  lively  faith,  and  yet  (N.  B.)  that  faith  does  not  shut  out 
repentance,  hope,  love,  [of  desire  when  we  are  coming, 
love  of  delight  when  we  are  come,]  dread,  and  the  fear  of 
God,  to  be  joined  with  it  in  every  man  that  is  justified ; 
but  it  shutteth  them  out  from  the  office  of  justifying ;  so 
that  they  be  all  present  together  in  him  that  is  justified,  yet 
they  justify  not  all  together.'  This  is  agreeable  to  St. 
Peter's  doctrine,  maintained  by  Mr.  Wesley.  Ov\y  faith 
in  Christ  for  Christians,  and  faith  in  the  light  of  their 
dispensation  for  heathens,  is  necessary  in  order  to  accept- 
ance :  but  though  faith  only  justifies,  yet  it  is  never  alone ; 
for  repentance,  hope,  love  of  desire,  and  the  fear  of  God, 
necessarily  accompany  this  faith,  if  it  be  living.  Our 
Church  therefore  is  not  at  all  against  works  proceeding 
from,  or  accompanying  faith  in  all  its  stages.  She  grants, 
that  whether  faith  seeks  or  finds  its  object,  whether  it 
longs  for  or  embraces  it,  it  is  still  a  lively,  active,  and 
working  grace.  She  is  only  against  the  vain  conceit  that 
works  have  any  hand  in  wienVing- justification  or  purchas 
itig  salvation,  which  is  what  Mr.  Wesley  likewise  strongly 
opposes. 

"  If  any  still  urge,  '  I  do  not  love  the  word  condition  ;' 
I  reply,  it  is  no  wonder ;  since  thousands  so  hate  the  thing, 
that  they  even  choose  to  go  to  hell,  rather  than  perform  it. 
But  let  an  old  worthy  divine,  approved  by  all  but  Crisp's 
disciples,  tell  you  what  we  mean  by  condition  :  '  An 
antecedent  condition  (says  Mr.  Flavel  in  his  '  Discourse 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


217 


of  Errors')  signifies  no  more  than  an  act  of  ours,  which, 
though  it  be  neither  perfect  in  any  degree,  nor  in  the  least 
meritorious  of  the  benefit  conferred,  nor  performed  in  our 
own  natural  strength,  is  yet,  according  to  the  constitution 
of  the  covenant,  required  of  us,  in  order  to  the  blessings 
consequent  thereupon,  by  virtue  of  the  promise ;  and 
consequently,  benefits  and  mercies  granted  in  this  order 
are  and  must  be  suspended  by  the  donor,  till  it  be  per- 
formed.' Such  a  condition  we  affirm  faith  to  be,  with  all 
that  faith  necessarily  implies."  (Fletcher's  Works.) 

The  greatest  stone  of  stumbling  was,  however,  the 
remarks  on  merit: — 

«  As  to  merit  itself,  of  which  we  have  been  so  dreadfully 
afraid  :  we  are  rewarded  '  according  to  our  works,'  yea, 
'because  of  our  works.'  How  does  this  differ  from, 
'  for  the  sake  of  our  works  ?'  And  how  differs  this  from 
secundum  merita  operum,  'as  our  works  deserve?'  Can 
you  split  this  hair  ?    I  doubt  I  cannot." 

The  outcry  of  "  dreadful  heresy"  raised  against  him, 
particularly  on  this  article,  was  the  more  uncandid,  because 
by  explaining  the  phrase  secundum  merita  operum,  to 
mean,  as  our  works  deserve,  it  was  clear,  especially  taking 
the  passage  in  connection  with  what  he  had  previously 
stated,  that  he  understood  merit  in  that  loose,  and  not 
perhaps  always  correct,  sense  in  which  it  had  often  been 
used  by  several  of  the  ancient  fathers ;  and  also  that  he 
was  not  speaking  of  our  present  justification,  but  of  our 
final  reward.  But  here  Mr.  Fletcher  shall  again  be 
heard  : — 

"  If  Mr.  Wesley  meant,  that  we  are  saved  by  the  merit 
of  works,  and  not  entirely  by  that  of  Christ,  you  might 
exclaim  against  his  proposition  as  erroneous  ;  and  I  would 
echo  back  your  exclamation.  But  as  he  flatly  denies  it  in 
those  wordbs,  '  Not  by  the  merit  of  works,'  and  has  con- 
stantly asserted  the  contrary  for  above  thirty  years,  we 
cannot,  without  monstrous  injustice,  fix  that  sense  upon 
the  word  merit  in  this  paragraph. 

"  Divesting  himself  of  bigotry  and  party  spirit,  he  gene- 
rously  acknowledges  truth  even  when  it  is  held  forth  by 
his  adversaries :  an  instance  of  candour  worthy  of  our 
imitation  !  He  sees  that  God  offers  and  gives  his  children, 
here  on  earth,  particular  rewards  for  particular  instances 
19 


218 


LIFE  OP  THK 


of  obedience.  He  knows  that  when  a  man  is  saved  me- 
ritoriously by  Christ,  and  conditionally  by  (or  if  you  please, 
upon  the  terms  of)  the  work  of  faith,  the  patience  of  hope, 
and  the  labour  of  love,  he  shall  particularly  be  rewarded  in 
heaven  for  his  works  :  and  he  observes,  that  the  Scriptures 
steadily  maintain,  we  are  recompensed  according  to  our 
works,  yea,  because  of  our  works. 

"  The  former  of  these  assertions  is  plain  from  the  para- 
ble of  the  talents,  and  from  these  words  of  our  Lord,  Matt, 
xvi,  27,  '  The  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  his 
Father,  and  reward  every  man  according  to  his  works ;' 
unbelievers  according  to  the  various  degrees  of  demerit 
belonging  to  their  evil  works ;  (for  some  of  them  shall 
comparatively  '  be  beaten  with  few  stripes  ;')  and  believers 
according  to  the  various  degrees  of  excellence  found  in  their 
good  works  ;  '  for  as  one  star  differeth  from  another  star  in 
glory,  so  also  is  the  resurrection  of  the'  righteous  '  dead.' 

"  If  we  detach  from  the  word  merit  the  idea  of '  obUga- 
tion  on  God's  part  to  bestow  any  thing  upon  creatures,  who 
have  a  thousand  times  forfeited  their  comforts  and  exist- 
ence,' — if  we  take  it  in  the  sense  we  fix  to  it  in  a  hundred 
cases  ;  for  instance  this  :  '  A  master  may  reward  his  scho- 
lars according  to  the  merit  of  their  exercises,  or  he  may 
not ;  for  the  merit  of  the  best  exercise  can  never  bind  him 
to  bestow  a  premium  for  it,  unless  he  has  promised  it  of 
his  own  accord,' — if  we  take,  I  say,  the  word  merit  in  this 
simple  sense,  it  may  be  joined  to  the  word  good  works,  and 
bear  an  evangelical  meaning. 

"  To  be  convinced  of  it,  candid  reader,  consider,  with 
Mr.  Wesley,  that  '  God  accepts  and  rewards  no  work  but 
so  far  as  it  proceeds  from  his  own  grace  tlu-ougli  the  Be- 
loved.' Forget  not  that  Christ's  Spirit  is  the  savour  of 
each  behever's  salt,  and  that  he  puts  excellence  into  the 
good  works  of  his  people,  or  else  they  could  not  be  good. 
Remember,  he  is  as  much  concerned  in  the  good  tempers, 
words,  and  actions  of  liis  living  members,  as  a  tree  is  con- 
cerned in  the  sap,  leaves,  and  fruit  of  the  branches  it  bears, 
John  XV,  5.  Consider,  I  say,  all  this,  and  tell  us  whether 
it  can  reflect  dishonour  upon  Christ  and  his  grace,  to  affirm, 
that  as  his  personal  merit — the  merit  of  his  holy  life  and 
painful  death — '  opens  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  all  be- 
lievers ;'  so  the  merit  of  those  works  which  he  enables  his 


REV    JOHN  WESLEY. 


219 


members  to  do,  will  determine  the  peculiar  degrees  of  glory 
graciously  allotted  to  each  of  them."  {Fletcher'' s  Works.) 

Mr.  Fletcher  came  forward  to  defend  his  venerable 
friend,  on  account  of  the  great  uproar  which  the  Calvinistic 
party  had  raised  against  him  upon  the  publication  of  these 
minutes.  The  countess  of  Huntingdon  had  taken  serious 
alarm  and  offence ;  and  the  Rev.  Walter  Shirley,  her  brother 
and  chaplain,  had  written  a  circular  letter  to  all  the  serious 
clergy,  and  several  others,  inviting  them  to  go  in  a  body  to 
the  ensuing  conference,  and  "  insist  upon  a  formal  recanta- 
tion of  the  said  minutes,  and,  in  case  of  a  refusal,  to  sign  and 
publish  their  protest  against  them."  Mr.  Shirley  and  a  few 
others  accordingly  attended  the  Bristol  conference,  where, 
says  Mr.  Wesley,  "  we  had  more  preachers  than  usual  in 
consequence  of  Mr.  Shirley's  circular  letter.  At  ten  on 
Thursday  morning  he  came,  with  nine  or  ten  of  his  friends : 
we  conversed  freely  for  about  two  hours ;  and,  I  believe,  they 
were  satisfied,  that  we  were  not  such  '  dreadful  heretics'  as 
they  imagined,  but  were  tolerably  sound  in  the  faith." 

The  meeting  was  creditable  to  each  party.  Mr.  Wesley 
acknowledged  that  the  minutes  were  "  not  sufficiently  guard- 
ed." This  must  be  felt  by  all ;  they  were  out  of  his  usual 
manner  of  expressing  himself,  and  he  had  said  the  same 
truths  often  in  a  clearer,  and  safer,  and  even  stronger  man- 
ner. He  certainly  did  not  mean  to  alter  his  previous  opi- 
nions,  or  formally  to  adopt  other  terms  in  which  to  express 
them ;  and  therefore  to  employ  new  modes  of  speaking, 
though  for  a  temporary  purpose,  was  not  without  danger, 
although  they  were  capable  of  an  innocent  explanation. 
Even  Mr.  Fletcher  confesses  that  the  minutes  wore  "  a  new 
aspect ;"  and  that  at  first  they  appeared  to  him  *•  unguarded, 
if  not  erroneous."  Mr.  Wesley  showed  his  candour  in  admit- 
ting the  former ;  and  to  prevent  all  future  misconstruction, 
he  and  the  conference  issued  the  following  "  Declaration,"  to 
which  was  appended  a  note  from  Mr.  Shirley,  acknowledg- 
ing  his  mistake  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  minutes : — 

"  Bristol,  August  9,  1771. 

"  Whereas  the  doctrinal  points  in  the  minutes  of  a  con- 
ference held  in  London,  August  7,  1770,  have  been  under- 
stood to  favour  'justification  by  works  :'  now  the  Rev.  John 
Wesley  and  others,  assembled  in  conference,  do  declare  that 
we  had  no  such  meaning ;  and  that  we  abhor  the  doctrine  of 


220 


LIFE  OF  THE 


'justification  by  works,'  as  a  most  perilous  and  abominable 
doctrine.  And  as  the  said  minutes  are  not  sufficiently  guard- 
ed in  the  way  they  are  expressed,  we  hereby  solemnly  de- 
clare, in  the  sight  of  God,  that  we  have  no  trust  or  confidence 
but  in  the  alone  merits  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ 
for  justification  or  salvation,  either  in  life,  death,  or  the  day 
of  judgment.  And  though  no  one  is  a  real  Christian  be- 
liever (and  consequently  cannot  be  saved)  who  doeth  not 
good  works,  where  there  is  time  and  opportunity  ;  yet  our 
works  have  no  part  in  meriting  or  purchasing  our  justifi- 
cation, from  first  to  last,  either  in  whole  or  in  part. 

"  Signed  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wesley  and  fifty-three 
preachers." 

MR.  SHIRIEY's  note. 

"  Mr.  Shirley's  Christian  respects  wait  on  Mr.  Wesley. 
The  declaration  agreed  to  in  conference  the  8th  of  August, 
1771,  has  convinced  Mr.  Shirley  he  had  mistaken  the  mean- 
ing  of  the  doctrinal  points  in  the  minutes  of  the  conference 
held  in  London,  August  7, 1770 ;  and  he  hereby  wishes  to 
testify  the  full  satisfaction  he  has  in  the  said  declaration, 
and  his  hearty  concurrence  and  agreement  with  the  same. 

"  Mr.  Wesley  is  at  full  liberty  to  make  what  use  he 
pleases  of  this. — August  10,  1771."* 

*  This  affair  is  capable  of  more  illustration  than  it  has  received 
from  Mr.  Weslay's  biographers  hitherto.  Mr.  Shirley's  circular  let. 
ter  was  naturally  resented  by  Mr.  Wesley,  as  being  published  before 
any  explanations  respecting  the  minutes  had  been  asked  from  him 
their  author  ;  and  also  from  its  assuming  that  Mr.  S.,  and  the  clergy 
who  might  obey  his  summons,  had  the  right  to  come  into  the  confer- 
ence, and  to  demand  a  recantation.  Mr.  Shirley,  therefore,  soon 
found,  that  he  must  approach  in  a  more  brotherly  manner,  or  that 
Mr.  Wesley  and  the  conference  would  have  no  intercourse  with  him 
This  led  Lady  Huntingdon  and  Mr.  Shirley  to  address  explanatory 
letters  to  Mr.  Wesley.  "  As  the  method  of  proceeding,  as  well  as  the 
terms  in  which  we  had  delivered  ourselves,"  says  Mr.  Shirley,  "  was 
objected  to  by  many  as  by  no  means  proper,  and  in  submission  to  the 
precept, '  Give  no  offence  to  Jew  or  Gentile,  or  to  the  Church  of  God,* 
Lady  Huntingdon  and  I  wrote  the  following  letters,  which  were  deli, 
vered  to  Mr.  Wesley  the  evening  before  the  conference  mot."  Lady 
Huntingdon  says,  "  As  you  and  your  friends,  and  many  others,  havo 
objected  to  the  mode  of  the  application  to  you  in  conference,  as  an 
arbitrary  way  of  proceeding,  we  wish  to  retract  what  a  more  delibe. 
rate  consideration  might  have  prevented,"  &-c.  Mr.  Shirley's  letter 
acknowledges  "  that  the  circular  was  too  hastily  drawn  up,  and  im. 
properly  expressed ;  and  therefore,  for  the  offensive  expressions  in  it, 
we  desire  we  may  be  hereby  understood  to  make  every  suitable  sub. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


221 


Mr.  Fletcher  had  entitled  his  Defence  of  Mr.  Wesley 
"  The  First  Check  to  Antinomianism  ;"  but  he  did  not 

mission  to  you."  On  this  explanation,  Mr.  Shirley  and  his  friends 
were  invited  by  Mr.  Wesley  to  come  to  the  conference  on  tlie  third 
day  of  its  sitting.  Mr.  Shirley's  published  narrative  thus  pro- 
ceeds : — "  To  say  the  truth,  I  was  pleased  that  the  invitation  came 
from  Mr.  Wesley,  without  any  application  made  on  our  parts,  that 
there  might  not  be  left  the  least  room  for  censuring  our  proceedings 
as  violent.  On  that"  day  therefore,  I  went  tliither,  accompanied 
with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Glascot,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Owen,  (two  ministers  offi. 
elating  in  Lady  Huntingdon's  chapels,)  John  Lloyd,  Esq.,  of  Bath  ; 
Mr.  James  Ireland,  merchant  of  Bristol ;  Mr.  Winter,  and  two  stu. 
dents  belonging  to  Lady  Huntingdon's  college. 

"  I  shall  only  give  you  a  brief  detail  of  what  passed,  and  rather 
the  substance  of  what  was  spoken,  than  the  exact  words  ;  omitting 
likewise  many  things  of  no  great  weight  or  consequence. 

"  After  Mr.  Wesley  had  prayed,  I  desired  to  know  whether  Lady 
Huntingdon's  letter  and  mine  to  Mr.  Wesley  liad  been  road  to  the 
conference.  Being  answered  in  the  negative,  I  begged  leave  to  read 
the  copies  of  them  ;  which  was  granted.  I  then  said  that  I  hoped  the 
submission  made  was  satisfactory  to  the  gentlemen  of  the  conference. 
This  was  admitted  ;  but  then  it  was  urged,  that  as  the  offence  given 
by  the  circular  letter  had  been  very  public,  so  ouglit  the  letter  of  sub- 
mission. I  therefore  readily  consented  to  the  publication  of  it,  and 
have  now  fulfilled  my  promise.  Mr.  Wesley  then  stood  up  ;  the 
purport  of  iiis  speech  was  a  sketch  of  his  ministry  from  liis  first  set- 
ting out  to  the  present  time  ;  with  a  view  (as  I  understood)  to  prove 
that  he  had  ever  maintained  justification  by  faith,  and  that  there 
was  nothing  in  the  minutes  contrary  thereunto.  He  complained  of 
ill  treatment  from  many  persons,  that  he  apprehended  had  been 
under  obligations  to  him  ;  and  said  that  the  present  opposition  was 
not  to  the  minutes,  but  to  liimself  personally.  In  answer  I  assured 
them  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  that,  with  respect  to  myself,  my 
opposition  was  not  to  Mr.  Wesley,  or  any  particular  person,  but  to 
the  doctrines  themselves.  And  they  were  pleased  thus  far  to  give 
me  credit.  I  then  proceeded  to  speak  to  tlie  point ;  informed  them 
of  the  great  and  general  offence  the  minutes  had  given  ;  that  I  had 
numerous  protests  and  testimonies  against  them  sent  me  from  Scot- 
land, and  from  various  parts  of  these  kingdoms  ;  that  it  must  seem 
very  extraordinary  indeed,  if  so  many  men  of  sense  and  learning 
should  be  mistaken,  and  that  there  was  nothing  really  offensive  in 
the  plain,  natural  import  of  the  minutes  ;  that  I  believed  they  tliem. 
selves  (whatever  meaning  they  might  have  intended)  would  allow 
that  the  more  obvious  meaning  was  reprehensible  ;  and,  therefore, 
I  recommdcded  to  them,  nay  I  begged  and  entreated  for  the  Lord's 
sake,  that  tliey  would  go  as  far  as  thuy  could  with  a  good  con- 
science, in  giving  the  world  satisfaction.  I  said  I  hoped  they  would 
not  take  offence,  (for  I  did  not  mean  to  give  it,)  as  nij'  proposing 
to  them  a  declaration  which  I  liad  drawn  up,  wishing  that  some- 
thing at  least  analogous  to  it  might  be  agreed  to.  I  tlien  took  the 
liberty  to  read  it ;  and  Mr.  Wesley,  after  he  hud  made  some  (not 
19* 


222 


LIFE  OF  THE 


content  himself  with  evangelizing  the  apparently  legal 
minutes,  and  defending  the  doctrinal  consistency  and  or- 

very  material)  alterations  in  it,  readily  consented  to  sign  it ;  in 
which  he  was  followed  by  fifty-three  of  the  preachers  in  connection 
with  him  ;  there  being  only  one  or  two  that  were  against  it. 

"  Thus  was  this  important  matter  settled.  But  one  of  the  preachers 
(namely,  Mr.  Tliomas  Olivers)  kept  us  a  long  time  in  debate  ;  stren. 
uously  opposed  the  declaration  ;  and  to  the  last  would  not  consent 
to  sign  it.  He  maintained  that  our  second  justification  (that  is,  at 
the  day  of  judgment)  is  by  works  ;  and  he  saw  very  clearly  that  for 
one  that  holds  that  tenet  solemnly  '  to  declare  in  the  sight  of  God 
that  he  has  no  trust  or  confidence  but  in  the  alone  merits  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  for  justification  or  salvation,  either 
in  life,  death,  or  the  day  of  judgment,'  would  be  acting  neither  a 
consistent  nor  an  upright  part ;  for  all  the  subtilties  of  metaphysi. 
cal  distinction  can  never  reconcile  tenets  so  diametrically  opposite 
as  these.  But,  blessed  be  God,  Mr.  Wesley,  and  fifty-three  of  his 
preachers,  do  not  agree  with  Mr.  Olivers  in  this  material  article  ; 
for  it  appears  from  their  subscribing  the  declaration,  that  they  do 
not  maintain  a  second  justification  by  works. 

"  After  tlie  declaration  had  been  agreed  to,  it  was  required  of  me, 
on  my  part,  that  I  would  make  some  public  acknowledgment  that 
I  had  mistaken  the  meaning  of  the  minutes.  Hero  I  hesitated  a 
little  ;  for  though  I  was  desirous  to  do  every  thing  (consistently 
with  truth  and  a  good  conscience)  for  the  establishment  of  peace 
and  Christian  fellowship  ;  yet  I  was  very  unwilling  to  give  any 
thing  under  my  hand  that  might  seem  to  countenance  the  minutes 
in  their  obvious  sense.  But  then,  when  I  was  asked  by  one  of  the 
preachers  whether  I  did  not  believe  Mr.  Wesley  to  be  an  honest 
man  ;  I  was  distressed  on  the  other  hand,  lest,  by  refusing  what  was 
desired,  I  should  seem  to  infer  a  doubt  to  Mr.  Wesley's  disadvan. 
tage.  Having  confidence,  therefore,  in  Mr.  Wesley's  integrity,  who 
had  declared  he  had  no  such  meaning  in  the  minutes,  as  was  fa 
vourable  to  justification  by  works  ;  and  considering  that  every  man 
is  the  best  judge  of  his  own  meaning,  and  has  a  right,  so  far,  to  our 
credit,  and  that,  though  nothing  else  could,  yet  the  declaration  did 
convince  me,  they  had  some  other  meaning  than  what  appeared; — 
I  say,  (these  things  considered,)  I  promised  them  satisfaction  in 
this  particular ;  and,  a  few  days  afterward,  sent  Mr.  Wesley  the 
following  message,  with  which  ho  was  very  well  pleased : — 

[Then  follows  Mr.  Shirley's  note  as  given  above.] 

"  Thus  far  all  was  well.  The  foundation  was  secured.  And,  with 
respect  to  lesser  matters  of  difference,  we  might  well  bear  with  one 
another ;  and  if  either  party  should  see  occasion  to  oppose  the  other's 
peculiar  opinion,  it  might  be  done  without  vehemence,  and  without 
using  any  reproachful  terms.  The  whole  was  conducted  with  great 
decency  on  all  sides.  We  concluded  with  prayer,  and  with  tho 
warmest  indications  of  mutual  peace  and  love.  For  my  own  part, 
believe  me,  I  was  perfectly  sincere  ;  and  thought  this  one  of  the  hap- 
piest, and  most  honourable  days  of  my  life." 

The  whole  conduct  of  Mr.  Shirley,  in  this  affair,  affords  a  pleasing 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


223 


thodoxy  of  Mr.  Wesley.  He  incidentally  discussed  various 
other  points  of  the  quinquarticular  controversy ;  and  he, 
as  well  as  Mr.  Wesley,  was  quickly  assailed  by  a  number 
of  replies  not  couched  in  the  most  courteous  style.  Mr. 
Fletcher's  skill  and  admirable  temper  so  fully  fitted  him  to 
conduct  the  dispute  which  had  arisen,  that  Mr.  Wesley  left 
the  contest  chiefly  to  him,  and  calmly  pursued  his  labours ; 
and  the  whole  issued  in  a  series  of  publications,  from  the 
pen  of  the  vicar  of  Madeley,  which,  as  a  whole,  can  scarcely 
be  too  highly  praised  or  valued.*  While  the  language 
endures,  they  wiU  effectually  operate  as  checks  to  Antino- 
mianism  in  every  subtle  form  which  it  may  assume ;  and 
present  the  pure  and  beautiful  system  of  evangelical  truth, 
as  well  guarded  on  the  other  hand  against  Pelagian  self 
sufficiency.  The  Rev.  Augustus  Toplady,  Mr.  (afterward 
Sir  Richard)  Hill,  and  his  brother,  the  Rev.  Rowland  Hill, 
with  the  Rev.  John  Berridge,  were  his  principal  antago- 
nists  ;  but  his  learning,  his  acuteness,  his  brilliant  talent  at 
illustrating  an  argument,  and  above  all,  the  hallow  ed  spirit 
in  which  he  conducted  the  controversy,  gave  him  a  mighty 
superiority  over  his  opponents  ;  and  although  there  will  be 
a  difference  of  opinion,  according  to  the  systems  which 
different  readers  have  adopted,  as  to  the  side  on  which  the 
victory  of  argument  remains  ;  there  can  be  none  as  to 
which  bore  away  the  prize  of  temper.  Amidst  the  scur- 
rilities and  vulgar  abuse  of  Mr.  Toplady,  otherwise  an  able 
writer,  and  a  man  of  learning,  and  the  coarse  virulence  or 
buffoonery  of  the  Hills  and  Berridge,f  it  is  refreshing  to 

contrast  to  that  of  the  Hills,  Toplady,  and  others,  who  soon  rushed 
hot  and  reckless  into  the  controversy.  Mr.  Shirley,  it  is  true, 
complains,  that  afler  this  adjustment,  Mr.  Fletcher  should  liave  so 
sovoroly  attacked  liim  in  his  five  letters  ;  but  he  appears  never 
to  have  departed  from  the  meekness  of  a  Christian  and  the  manners 
of  a  gentleman. 

*  It  ought  to  be  observed,  that  Mr.  Fletcher's  writings  are  not  to 
he  considered,  in  every  particular,  as  expressing  the  views  of  Mr. 
Wesley,  and  tlie  body  of  Methodists ;  and  that,  though  greatly 
admired  among  us,  they  are  not  reckoned  among  the  standards  of 
our  doctrines. 

+  The  titles  of  several  of  tlie  pieces,  ^vritten  by  Toplady  and  others, 
such  as  "An  old  Fo.\  tarred  and  feathered;"  "The  Serpent  and  the 
Fox;"  "Pope  John,"  &c  ;  are  sufficient  evidences  of  tlie  temper  and 
manners  of  this  band  of  controversialists.  In  what  the  Rev.  Rowlana 
Hill  calls  "  Some  Gentle  Strictures"  on  a  sermon  by  Mr.  Wesley. 


224 


LIFE  OF  THE 


remark,  in  the  writings  of  "  the  saintly  Fletcher,"  so  fine  a 
union  of  strength  and  meekness ;  an  edge  so  keen,  and 
yet  so  smooth  ;  and  a  heart  kept  in  such  perfect  charity 
with  his  assailants,  and  so  intent  upon  establishing  truth, 
not  for  victoiy,  but  for  salvation. 

In  this  dispute  Mr.  Wesley  wrote  but  little,  and  that 
chiefly  in  defence  of  his  own  consistency,  in  reply  to  Mr, 
Hill.  His  pamphlets  also  are  models  of  temper,  logical 
and  calm,  but  occasionally  powerfully  reproving ;  not  so 
much  as  feeUng  that  he  had  received  abuse  and  insult,  as 
holding  it  his  duty  to  bring  the  aggressor  to  a  due  sense 
of  his  own  misdoings.  The  conclusion  of  his  first  reply 
to  Mr.  Hill  is  a  strong  illustration  : — 

"  Having  now  answered  the  queries  you  proposed,  suffer 
me,  sir,  to  propose  one  to  you ;  the  same  which  a  gentleman 
of  your  own  opinion  proposed  to  me  some  years  since  : — 
'  Sir,  how  is  it  that  as  soon  as  a  man  comes  to  the  know- 
ledge  of  THE  TRUTH,  it  spoils  his  temper  ?'  That  it  does 
so  I  had  observed  over  and  over,  as  well  as  Mr.  J.  had. 
But  how  can  we  account  for  it?  Has  the  truth  (so  Mr.  J. 
termed  what  many  love  to  term  the  doctrine  of  free  grace) 
a  natural  tendency  to  spoil  the  temper  ?  To  inspire  pride, 
haughtiness,  superciliousness  ?  To  make  a  man  '  wiser  in 
his  own  eyes  than  seven  men  that  can  render  a  reason  ?' 
Does  it  naturally  turn  a  man  into  a  cynic,  a  bear,  a  Top- 
preached  on  laj'ing  the  foundation  stone  of  the  City  Road  Chapel, 
Mr.  Wesley  is  subjected  to  certain  not  very  gentle  objurgations, 
which  it  would  be  too  sickening  a  task  to  copy  or  to  read.  The  Gos- 
pel Magazine,  so  called,  was  equally  unmeasured  in  its  abuse,  and 
as  vulgar  ;  but  to  do  justice  to  all  parties,  the  Calvinists  even  of  that 
day  disapproved  of  this  publication,  and  it  was  given  up.  Even  Mr. 
Rowland  Hill  appears  to  have  incurred  the  displeasure  of  some  of 
his  brethren  ;  for  in  a  second  edition  of  his  "  Gentle  Strictures,"  he 
explains  himself, — awkwardly  enough,  certainly, — that  when  he 
called  Mr.  Wesley  "wretch,"  and  "  miscreant,"  they  must  remem. 
bsr  that  "wretch"  moans  "an  unhappy  person;"  and  "miscreant," 
"  one  whose  belief  is  wrong  !"  Wo  have  happily  no  recent  instances 
of  equally  unbrotherly  and  unchristian  temper  in  connection  with 
this  controversy,  except  in  the  bitter  and  unsanctified  spirit  of 
Bogue  and  Bennett's  History  of  the  Dissenters.  The  two  doctors, 
however,  were  in  the  habit  of  declining  the  merit  of  the  passages 
on  Methodism,  in  favour  of  eacli  other;  and  to  which  of  them  the 
honour  of  their  authorship  is  due,  has  never  yet,  I  believe,  been 
ascertained. — "  Where  there  is  shame,"  says  Dr.  Johnson,  "  there 
may  in  time  be  virtue." 


REV,  JOny  WESLEY. 


225 


lady  ?  Does  it  at  once  set  him  free  from  all  the  restraints 
of  good  nature,  decency,  and  good  manners?  Cannot  a 
man  hold  distinguishing  grace,  as  it  is  called,  but  he  must 
distinguish  himself  for  passion,  sourness,  bitterness  ?  Must 
a  man,  as  soon  as  he  looks  upon  himself  to  be  an  absolute 
favourite  of  Heaven,  look  upon  all  that  oppose  him  as  Dia- 
bolonians,  as  predestinated  dogs  of  hell  ?  Truly,  the  melan- 
choly instance  now  before  us  would  almost  induce  us  to 
think  so.  For  who  was  of  a  more  amiable  temper  than 
Mr.  Hill,  a  few  years  ago  ?  When  I  first  conversed  with 
him  in  London,  I  thought  I  had  seldom  seen  a  man  of  for- 
tune who  appeared  to  be  of  a  more  humble,  modest,  gentle, 
friendly  disposition.  And  yet  this  same  Mr.  H.,  when  he 
has  one  e  been  grounded  in  the  knowledge  of  the  truth, 
is  of  a  temper  as  totally  different  from  this,  as  light  is  from 
darkness !  He  is  now  haughty,  supercilious,  disdaining 
his  opponents,  as  unworthy  to  be  set  with  the  dogs  of  his 
flock  !  He  is  violent,  impetuous,  bitter  of  spirit !  in  a  word, 
the  author  of  the  Review  ! 

"  O  sir,  what  a  commendation  is  this  of  your  doctrine  ? 
Look  at  Mr.  Hill  the  Arminian  !  The  loving,  amiable, 
generous,  friendly  man.  Look  at  Mr.  Hill  the  Calvinist ! 
Is  it  the  same  person  ?  this  spiteful,  morose,  touchy  man  ? 
Alas,  what  has  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  done  ?  What 
a  deplorable  change  has  it  made  ?  Sir,  I  love  you  still ; 
though  I  cannot  esteem  you,  as  I  did  once.  Let  me  en- 
treat you,  if  not  for  the  honour  of  God,  yet  for  the  honour 
of  your  cause,  avoid,  for  the  time  to  come,  all  anger,  all 
spite,  all  sourness  and  bitterness,  all  contemptuous  usage 
of  your  opponents,  not  inferior  to  you,  unless  in  fortune. 
O  put  on  again  bowels  of  mercies,  kindness,  gentleness, 
long  suffering  ;  endeavouring  to  hold,  even  with  them  that 
differ  from  you  in  opinion,  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
bond  of  peace !" 

This  controversy,  painful  as  it  was  in  many  respects, 
and  the  cause  of  much  unhallowed  joy  to  the  profane  wits 
of  the  day,  who  were  not  a  little  gratified  at  this  exhibition 
of  what  they  termed  "spiritual  gladiatorship,"  has  been 
productive  of  important  consequences  in  this  country.  It 
showed  to  the  pious  and  moderate  Calvinists  how  well  the 
richest  views  of  evangelical  truth  could  be  united  with  Ar- 
minianism  ;  and  it  aflected,  by  its  bold  and  fearless  exhi 


226 


LIFE  OF  THE 


bition  of  the  logical  consequeces  of  the  doctrines  or  the 
decrees,  much  greater  moderation  in  those  who  still  admit- 
ted them,  and  gave  birth  to  some  softened  modifications  of 
Calvinism  in  the  age  that  followed  ; — an  effect  which  has 
remained  to  this  day.  The  disputes  on  these  subjects 
have,  since  that  time,  been  less  frequent,  and  more  tem- 
perate  ;  nor  have  good  men  so  much  laboured  to  depart  to 
the  greatest  distance  from  each  other,  as  to  find  a  ground 
on  which  they  could  make  the  nearest  approaches.  This 
has  been  especially  the  case  between  the  Methodists  and 
the  evangelical  Dissenters.  Of  late  a  Calvinism  of  a  higher 
and  sterner  form  has  sprung  up  among  a  certain  sect  of  the 
clergy  of  the  Church  of  England ;  though  some  of  them, 
whatever  their  private  theory  may  be,  feel  that  these  points 
are  not  fit  subjects  for  the  edification  of  their  congrega- 
tions in  public  discourses.  Of  Calvinism  since  the  period 
of  this  controversy  the  Methodist  preachers  and  societies 
have  been  in  no  danger  ;  so  powerful  and  complete  was  its 
effect  upon  them.  At  no  conference,  since  that  of  1770,  baa 
it  been  necessary  again  to  ask,  "Wherein  have  we  leaned 
too  much  to  Calvinism  ?"  There  has  been  indeed,  not  in 
the  body,  but  in  some  of  its  ministers  occasionally,  a  leaning 
to  what  is  worse  than  Calvinism, — to  a  sapless,  legal,  and 
philosophizing  theology.  The  influence  of  the  opinions  of 
the  majority  of  the  preachers  has  always,  however,  coun- 
teracted  this  ;  and  the  true  balance  between  the  extremes 
of  each  system,  as  set  up  in  the  doctrinal  writings  of  Mr. 
Wesley,has  beenof  late  years  better  preserved  than  formerly. 
Those  writings  are,  indeed,  more  read  and  better  appreci- 
ated in  the  Connection,  than  at  some  former  periods  ;  and 
perhaps  at  the  present  time  they  exert  a  more  powerful 
influence  than  they  ever  did  over  the  theological  views  of 
both  preachers  and  people.  To  this  the  admirably  com- 
plete, correct,  and  elegant  edition  of  Mr.  Wesley's  Works, 
lately  put  forth  by  the  labour  and  judgment  of  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Jackson,  will  still  farther  contribute.  Numerous 
valuable  pieces  on  difTerent  subjects,  which  had  been  quite 
lost  to  the  public,  have  been  recovered ;  and  others,  but 
very  partially  known,  have  been  collected.* 

[*  An  American  stereotype  edition  of  this  Complete  and  Standard 
Edition  of  Mr.  Wesley's  Works,  carefully  revised,  will  be  issued  from 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Press  in  November  next.    It  will  be  hand- 


REV.  JOII^  WESLEY. 


227 


In  the  midst  of  all  these  controversies  and  cares,  the 
Bocieties  continued  to  spread  and  flourish  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  zeal  and  piety  of  the  preachers,  animated  by 
the  ceaseless  activity  and  regular  visits  of  Mr.  Wesley, 
who,  though  now  upward  of  seventy  years  of  age,  seemed 
to  possess  his  natural  strength  unabated.*  His  thoughts 
were,  however,  frequently  turning  with  anxiety  to  some 
arrangement  for  the  government  of  the  Connection  after 
his  death  ;  and  not  being  satisfied  that  the  plan  he  had 
sketched  out  a  few  years  before  would  provide  for  a  case 
of  so  much  consequence,  he  directed  his  attention  to  Mr. 
Fletcher,  and  warmly  invited  him  to  come  forth  into  the 
work,  and  to  allow  himself  to  be  introduced  by  him  to  the 
societies  and  preachers  as  their  future  head.  Earnestly 
as  this  was  pressed,  Mr.  Fletcher  could  not  be  induced  to 
undertake  a  task  to  which,  in  his  humility,  he  thought 
himself  inadequate.  This  seems  to  have  been  his  only 
objection  ;  but  had  he  accepted  the  offer,  the  plan  would 
have  failed,  as  Mr.  Fletcher  was  a  few  years  afterv/ard 
called  into  another  world.  From  Mr.  Charles  Wesley,  who 
had  become  a  family  man,  and  had  nearly  given  up  tra- 
velling, he  had  no  hope  as  a  successor ;  and  even  then  a 
farther  settlement  would  have  been  necessary,  because  he 
could  not  be  expected  long  to  survive  his  brother.  Still, 
therefore,  this  important  matter  remained  undetermined. 
At  the  time  the  overture  was  made  to  Mr.  Fletcher,  the 
preachers  who  were  fully  engaged  in  the  work  amounted 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty ;  and  the  societies,  in  Great  Bri- 
tain  and  Ireland,  to  upward  of  thirty-five  thousand,  exclu- 
sive of  the  regular  hearers.    This  rapid  and  constant 

somely  executed  on  throe  qualities  of  papsr,  and  will  be  farther 
improved  by  numerous  translations,  notes  peculiarly  adaptcid  lo 
America,  and  an  original  preface. — American  Edit. — July,  18.31.] 
*  In  his  seventy-second  year  he  thus  speaks  of  himself,  "This 
being  my  birtli  day,  the  first  day  of  my  seventy-second  yoar,  I  was 
considering.  How  is  this  that  I  find  just  the  sains  strength  as  I  did 
thirty  years  ago  ?  that  my  sight  is  considsrably  better  now,  and  my 
nerves  firmer,  than  they  wore  then  ?  that  I  have  none  of  the  infirmi- 
ties of  old  age,  and  have  lost  several  1  had  in  my  youth  ?  The  grand 
caBsc  is  the  good  pleasure  of  God,  who  dooth  vvhatso-w^r  pleaseth 
iiitn.  The  chief  moans  are,  1.  My  constantly  rising  at  four  for  about 
fifty  years  :  2.  My  g.^nerally  preaching  at  five  in  the  morning,  one  of 
tlie  most  healthy  exercises  in  the  world  :  3.  My  never  travjlling  less, 
by  sea  or  land,  than  four  thousand  five  hundred  miles  in  a  year." 


228 


LIKE  OF  THE 


enlargement  of  the  Connection  heightened  the  urgency  of 
the  question  of  its  future  settlement ;  and  it  is  pleasing  to 
remark,  that  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  at  length  entered  into 
this  feeling,  and  offered  his  suggestions.  In  spite  of  the 
little  misunderstandings  which  had  arisen,  he  maintained 
a  strong  interest  in  a  work  of  which  he  had  been  so  emi- 
nent  an  instrument ;  and  this  grew  upon  him  in  his  latter 
years.  Thus  we  have  seen  him  springing  into  activity  upon 
the  sickness  of  his  brother,  before  mentioned,  and  perform- 
ing for  him  the  full  "  work  of  an  evangelist,"  by  travelling 
in  his  place ;  and,  upon  Mr.  Wesley's  recovery,  his  labours 
were  afforded  locally  to  the  chapels  in  London  and  Bristol, 
to  the  great  edification  of  the  congregations.  In  one  of  his 
latest  letters  to  his  brother,  entering  into  the  question  of  a 
provision  for  the  settlement  of  the  future  government  of 
the  Connection,  he  says,  "  I  served  West-street  chapel  on 
Friday  and  Sunday.  Stand  to  your  own  proposal :  '  Let  us 
agree  to  differ.'  I  leave  America  and  Scotland  to  your 
latest  thoughts  and  recognitions ;  only  observing  now,  that 
you  are  exactly  riglit, — Keep  your  authority  while  you 
live ;  and,  after  your  death,  detur  digniori,  [let  it  be  given 
to  the  worthiest  individual,]  or  rather,  dignioribus,  [to  the 
worthiest  individuals.]  You  cannot  settle  the  succession. 
You  cannot  divine  how  God  will  settle  it." 

Thus  Charles  gave  up  as  hopeless  the  return  to  the 
Church,  and  suggested  the  plan  which  his  brother  adopted, 
to  devolve  the  government,  not  indeed  upon  one,  but  upon 
many  whom  he  esteemed  "  the  worthiest,"  for  age,  expe- 
rience,  talent,  and  moderation. 

CHAPTER  XII. 
In  1775,  Mr.  Wesley,  during  a  tour  in  the  north  of 
Ireland,  had  a  dangerous  sickness,  occasioned  by  sleeping 
on  the  ground,  in  an  orchard,  in  the  hot  weather,  which  he 
says  he  had  been  "  accustomed  to  do  for  forty  years  without 
ever  being  injured  by  it."  He  was  slow  to  admit  that  old 
age  had  arrived,  or  he  trusted  to  triumph  long  over  its 
infirmities.  The  consequence  in  this  case,  however,  was 
that,  after  manfully  struggling  with  the  incipient  symptoms 
of  the  complaint,  and  attempting  to  throw  them  off  by 
reading,  journeying,  and  preaching,  he  sunk  into  a  severe 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


229 


fever,  from  which,  after  lying  insensible,  for  some  days, 
he  recovered  with  extraordinary  rapidity  ;  and  resumed  a 
service  whicli,  extended  as  it  had  been  through  so  many 
years,  was  not  yet  to  be  terminated.  Whilst  in  London 
the  next  year,  the  following  incident  occurred  : — 

An  order  had  been  made  by  the  house  of  lords,  "  That 
the  commissioners  of  his  majesty's  excise  do  write  circu- 
lar  letters  to  all  persons  whom  they  have  reason  to  suspect 
to  have  plate,  as  also  to  those  who  have  not  paid  regularly 
tlie  duty  on  the  same,"  &c.  In  consequence  of  this  order, 
the  accountant  general  for  household  plate  sent  Mr.  Wes- 
ley a  copy  of  the  order,  with  the  following  letter  : — 

"  Reverend  Sir, — As  the  commissioners  cannot  doubt 
but  you  have  plate  for  which  you  have  hitherto  neglected 
to  make  an  entry,  they  have  directed  me  to  send  you  the 
above  copy  of  the  lords'  order,  and  to  inform  you  they 
expect  that  you  forthwith  make  due  entry  of  all  your  plate, 
such  entry  to  bear  date  from  the  commencement  of  the 
plate  duty,  or  from  such  time  as  you  have  owned,  used, 
had,  or  kept  any  quantity  of  silver  plate,  chargeable  by 
the  act  of  parliament ;  as  in  default  hereof,  the  board  will 
be  obliged  to  signify  your  refusal  to  their  lordships. 

"  N.  B.  An  immediate  answer  is  desired." 

Mr.  Wesley  replied  as  follows  : — 

"  Sir, — I  have  two  silver  tea  spoons  at  London,  and  two 
at  Bristol.  This  is  all  the  plate  which  I  have  at  present ; 
and  I  shall  not  buy  any  mo^e  while  so  many  around  me 
want  bread.    I  am,  sir,  your  most  humble  servant, 

"John  Wesley." 

No  doubt  the  commissioners  of  his  majesty's  excise 
thought  that  the  head  of  so  numerous  a  people  had  not 
forgotten  his  own  interests,  and  that  the  interior  of  his 
episcopal  residence  in  London  was  not  without  superflui- 
ties and  splendour. 

The  bishop  of  Sodor  and  Man  having  written  a  pastoral 
letter  to  all  the  clergy  within  his  diocess,  to  warn  their 
flocks  against  Methodism,  and  exhorting  them  to  present 
all  who  attended  its  meetings  in  the  spiritual  courts,  and 
to  repel  every  Methodist  preacher  from  the  sacrament,  Mr. 
Wesley  hastened  to  the  island,  and  in  May,  1777,  landed 
at  Douglas.    In  every  place  he  appears  to  have  been  cor- 


230 


LIFE  OF  THE 


dially  received  by  all  ranks ;  and  his  prompt  visit  probably 
put  a  stop  to  this  threatened  ecclesiastical  violence,  for  no 
farther  mention  is  made  of  it.  The  societies  in  the  island 
continued  to  flourish  ;  and,  on  Mr.  Wesley's  second  visit, 
he  found  a  new  bishop  of  a  more  liberal  character. 

The  Foundery  having  become  too  small  for  the  comfort- 
able  accommodation  of  the  congregation  in  that  part  of 
London,  and  being  also  gloomy  and  dilapidated,  a  new 
chapel  had  been  erected.  "November  1st,"  says  Mr. 
Wesley, "  was  the  day  appointed  for  opening  the  new  cha- 
pel  in  the  City  Road.  It  is  perfectly  neat,  but  not  fine, 
and  contains  far  more  than  the  Foundery ;  I  believe,  toge- 
ther with  the  morning  chapel,  as  many  as  the  Tabernacle. 
Many  were  afraid  that  the  multitudes,  crowding  from  all 
parts,  would  have  occasioned  much  disturbance-;  but  they 
were  happily  disappointed ;  there  was  none  at  all :  all  was 
quietness,  decency,  and  order.  I  preached  on  part  of 
Solomon's  prayer  at  the  dedication  of  the  temple  ;  and 
both  in  the  morning  and  afternoon  God  was  eminently 
present  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation."  (Journal.) 

Here  the  brothers  agreed  to  officiate  as  often  as  possi- 
ble till  the  congregation  should  be  settled.  Two  resident 
clergymen  were  also  employed  at  this  chapel  as  curates, 
for  reading  the  full  Church  service,  administering  the 
saci-aments,  and  burying  the  dead.  But  Mr.  Charles  Wes- 
ley took  some  little  offence  at  the  liberty  given  to  the 
preachers  to  officiate  in  his  brother's  absence,  and  when 
he  himself  could  not  supply.  His  letter  of  complaint  pro- 
duced,  however,  no  change  in  his  bi'other's  appointments, 
nor  was  it  likely.  Mr.  Wesley  knew  well  that  his  own 
preaching  at  the  new  chapel,  and  the  ministrations  of  the 
other  clergymen,  during  the  hours  of  service  in  the  parish 
church,  without  a  license  from  the  bishop,  or  the  acknow- 
ledgment  of  his  spiritual  jurisdiction,  was  just  as  irregular 
an  affair,  considered  ecclesiastically,  as  the  other.  The  City 
Road  chapel,  with  its  establishment  of  clergy,  service  in 
canonical  hours,  and  sacraments,  v.'as  in  the  eye  of  the  law, 
as  much  as  any  Dissenting  place  of  worship  in  London,  a 
conventicle  ;  though,  when  tried  by  a  better  rule,  it  was 
eminently,  in  those  days  of  power  and  simplicity,  "none 
other  than  the  house  of  God,  and  the  gate  of  heaven,"  to 
devout  worshippers.    An  influence  of  a  very  extraordinary 


REV.  JOHN  WESlEr. 


231 


kind  often  rested  upon  the  vast  congregations  assembled 
there  ;  thousands  were  trained  up  in  it  for  the  kingdom  of 
God  ;  and  the  society  exhibited  a  greater  number  of  mtm- 
bers,  perhaps,  than  any  other,  except  that  in  Bristol,  who, 
for  intelligence,  deep  experience  in  the  things  of  God,  sta- 
bility, meekness  of  spirit,  and  holiness  of  life,  were  at  once 
the  ornaments  of  Methodism,  and  an  influential  example 
to  the  other  societies  of  the  metropolis. 

In  1778  Mr.  Wesley  began  to  publish  a  periodical  work, 
which  he  entitled,  "  The  Arminian  Magazine  ;  consisting 
of  Extracts  and  Original  Treatises  on  Universal  Redemp- 
tion." He  needed  a  medium  through  which  he  could 
reply  to  the  numerous  attacks  made  upon  him ;  and  he 
made  use  of  it  farther  to  introduce  into  general  circulation 
several  choice  treatises  on  Universal  Redemption,  and  to 
publish  selections  from  his  valuable  correspondence  with 
pious  persons.  He  conducted  this  work  while  he  lived ; 
and  it  is  still  continued  by  the  conference,  under  the  title 
of  the  "Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine,"  on  the  same 
general  principles  as  to  its  theology,  though  on  a  more 
enlarged  plan. 

A  dispute  of  a  somewhat  serious  aspect  arose  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  out  of  the  appointment  of  a  clergyman  by  Mr. 
Wesley  to  preach  every  Sunday  evening  in  the  chapel  at 
Bath.  It  was  not  probable  that  the  preachers  of  the  circuit 
should  pay  the  same  deference  to  a  strange  clergyman, 
recently  introduced,  as  to  Mr.  Wesley  ;  but  when  this  ex- 
clusive occupation  of  the  pulpit  on  Sunday  evenings  was 
objected  to  by  them  and  part  of  the  society,  Mr.  Wesley, 
supported  by  his  brother,  who  had  accompanied  him  to 
Bath,  stood  firmly  upon  his  right  to  appoint  w7ten  and 
where  the  preachers  should  officiate,  as  a  fundamental  part 
of  the  compact  between  them  ;  and  the  assistant  preacher, 
Mr.  M'Nab,  was  suspended  until  "he  came  to  anotlier 
mind."  As  Mr.  M'Nab  who  had  thus  fallen  under  Mr. 
Wesley's  displeasure  was  supported  by  many  of  the  other 
preachers,  a  stormy  conference  was  anticipated.  To  this 
meeting  Mr.  Wesley,  therefore,  foreseeing  that  his  autho- 
rity would  be  put  to  the  trial,  strongly  invited  his  brother, 
in  order  that  he  might  assist  him  with  his  advice.  At  first 
Mr.  Charles  Wesley  declined,  on  the  ground  that  he  could 
not  trust  to  his  brother's  vigour  and  resolution.    He,  how 


232 


LIFE  OF  THE 


ever,  attended,  but  when  he  saw  that  Mr.  Wesley  was 
determined  to  heal  the  breach  by  concession,  he  kept  entire 
silence.  Tlie  offending  preacher  was  received  back  with- 
out censure ;  and,  from  this  time,  Dr.  Whitehead  thinks  that 
Mr.  Wesley's  authority  in  the  conference  declined.  This 
is  not  correct ;  but  that  authority  was  exercised  in  a  differ- 
ent manner.  Many  of  the  preachers  had  become  old  in 
the  work  ;  and  were  men  of  great  talents,  tried  fidelity,  and 
influence  with  the  societies.  These  qualities  were  duly 
appreciated  by  Mr.  Wesley,  who  now  regarded  them  more 
than  formerly,  when  they  were  young,  and  inexperienced, 
as  his  counsellors  and  coadjutors.  It  was  an  eminent 
proof  of  Mr.  Wesley's  practical  wisdom,  that  he  never 
attempted  to  contend  with  circumstances  not  to  be  con- 
trolled ;  and  from  this  time  he  placed  his  supremacy  no 
longer  upon  authority,  but  upon  the  influence  of  wisdom, 
character,  and  age,  and  thus  confirmed  rather  than  dimi- 
nished it.  Had  Mr>  Charles  Wesley  felt  sure  of  being 
supported  by  his  brother  with  what  he  called  "  vigour,"  it 
is  plain  from  his  letter  on  the  occasion,  that  he  would  have 
stood  upon  the  alternative  of  the  unconditional  submission 
of  all  the  preachers,  or  a  separation.  His  brother  chose 
a  more  excellent  way,  and  no  doubt  foresaw,  not  only  that 
if  a  separation  had  been  driven  on  by  violence,  it  would 
have  been  an  extensive  one  ;  but  that  among  the  societies 
which  remained  the  same  process  would  naturally,  and 
necessarily,  at  some  future  time  take  place,  and  so  nothing 
be  ultimately  gained,  to  counterbalance  the  immediate 
mischief.  The  silence  maintained  by  Mr.  Charles  Wesley 
in  this  conference  did  him  also  great  honour.  He  suspected 
"  the  warmth  of  his  temper  ;"  he  saw  that,  as  his  brother 
was  bent  upon  conciliation,  any  thing  he  could  say  would 
only  endanger  the  mutual  confidence  between  him  and  his 
preachers,  and  he  held  his  peace.  He  himself  believed 
that  a  formal  separation  of  the  body  of  preachers  and  people 
from  the  Church  would  inevitably  take  place  after  his 
brother's  death,  and  thought  it  best  to  bring  on  the  crisis 
before  that  event.  "You,"  says  he  to  his  brother,  "  think 
otherwise,  and  I  submit."  The  fact  has  been,  that  no  such 
separation  as  he  feared,  that  is,  separation  on  such  princi- 
ples, and  under  such  feelings  of  hostility  to  the  Established 
Church,  has  yet  taken  place. 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


233 


The  foUowing  letter  written  by  Mr.  Wesley  in  1782,  to 
a  nobleman  high  in  office,  shows  how  much  his  mind  was 
alive  to  every  thing  which  concerned  the  morals  and  reli- 
gion of  the  country,  and  is  an  instance  of  the  happy  man- 
ner in  which  he  could  unite  courtesy  with  reproof  without 
destroying  its  point.  A  report  prevailed  that  the  ministry 
designed  to  embody  the  militia,  and  exercise  them  on  a 
Sunday : — 

"  My  Loed, — If  I  wrong  your  lordship  I  am  sorry  for 
it ;  but  I  really  believe  your  lordship  fears  God ;  and  I 
hope  your  lordship  has  no  unfavourable  opinion  of  the 
Christian  revelation.  This  encourages  me  to  trouble  your 
lordship  with  a  few  lines,  which  otherwise  I  should  not 
take  upon  me  to  do. 

"  Above  thirty  years  ago,  a  motion  was  made  in  parlia- 
ment, for  raising  and  embodying  the  milftia,  and  for  exer- 
cising them,  to  save  time,  on  Sunday.  When  the  motion 
was  like  to  pass,  an  old  gentleman  stood  up  and  said, '  Mr. 
Speaker,  I  have  one  objection  to  this  :  I  believe  an  old 
book,  called  the  Bible.'  The  members  looked  at  one  ano- 
ther, and  the  motion  was  dropped. 

"  Must  not  all  others,  who  believe  the  Bible,  have  the 
very  same  objection  ?  And  from  what  I  have  seen,  I  can- 
not but  think,  these  are  still  three-fourths  of  the  nation. 
Now,  setting  religion  out  of  the  question,  is  it  expedient 
to  give  such  a  shock  to  so  many  millions  of  people  at 
once  ?  And  certainly  it  would  shock  them  extremely  :  it 
would  wound  them  in  a  very  tender  part.  For  would  not 
they,  would  not  all  England,  would  not  all  Europe,  consi- 
der this  as  a  virtual  repeal  of  the  Bible  ?  And  would  not 
all  serious  persons  say, '  We  have  little  religion  in  the  land 
now  ;  but  by  this  step  we  shall  have  less  still.  For  where- 
ever  this  pretty  show  is  to  be  seen,  the  people  will  flock 
together ;  and  will  lounge  away  so  much  time  before  and 
after  it,  that  the  churches  will  be  emptier  than  they  are 
already !' 

"  My  lord,  I  am  concerned  for  this  on  a  double  account. 
First,  because  I  have  personal  obligations  to  your  lordship, 
and  would  fain,  even  for  this  reason,  recommend  your 
lordship  to  the  love  and  esteem  of  all  over  whom  I  have 
any  influence.  Secondly,  because  I  now  reverence  your 
lordship  for  your  office'  sake ;  and  believe  it  to  be  my 
20* 


234 


LIFE  OF  THE 


bounden  duty  to  do  all  that  is  in  my  little  power,  to  advance 
your  lordship's  influence  and  reputation. 

"  Will  your  lordship  permit  me  to  add  a  word  in  my  old- 
fashioned  way  ?  I  pray  Him  that  has  all  power  in  heaven 
and  earth,  to  prosper  all  your  endeavours  for  the  public 
good,  and  am,  my  lord,  your  lordship's  willing  servant, 

"John  Wesley." 

In  1783  Mr.  Wesley  paid  a  visit  to  Holland,  having 
been  pressed  to  undertake  this  journey  by  a  Mr.  Fergu- 
son,  formerly  a  member  of  the  London  society,  who  had 
made  acquaintance  with  some  pious  people,  who,  having 
read  Mr.  Wesley's  Sermons,  were  desirous  of  seeing  him. 

The  following  are  extracts  from  his  journal ;  and  they 
will  be  read  with  pleasure,  both  as  exhibiting  his  activity 
at  so  advanced  an  age,  and  as  they  present  an  interesting 
picture  of  his  intercourse  with  a  pious  remnant  in  several 
parts  of  that  morally  deteriorated  country : — 

"  Wednesday,  June  11. — I  took  coach  withMr.Bracken- 
bury,  Broadbent,  and  Whitfield ;  and  in  the  evening  we 
reached  Harwich.  I  went  immediately  to  Dr.  Jones,  Avho 
received  me  in  the  most  affectionate  manner  :  about  nine 
in  the  morning  we  sailed;  and  at  nine  on  Friday  13, 
landed  at  Helvoetsluys.  Here  we  hired  a  coach  for  Briel ; 
but  were  forced  to  hire  a  waggon  also,  to  carry  a  box,  which 
one  of  us  could  have  carried  on  his  shoulders.  At  Briel 
we  took  a  boat  to  Rotterdam.  We  had  not  been  long  there, 
when  Mr.  Bennet,  a  bookseller,  who  had  invited  me  to  his 
house,  called  for  me.  But  as  Mr.  Loyal,  the  minister  of 
the  Scotch  congregation,  had  invited  me,  he  gave  up  his 
claim,  and  went  with  us  to  Mr.  Loyal's.  I  found  a  friendly 
sensible,  hospitable,  and  I  am  persuaded,  a  pious  man. 

"  Saturday  14. — I  had  much  conversation  with  the  two 
English  ministers,  sensible,  well-bred,  serious  men.  These, 
as  well  as  Mr.  Loyal,  were  verj^  willing  I  should  preach  in 
their  churches ;  but  they  thought  it  would  be  best  for  me 
to  preach  in  the  episcopal  church.  By  our  conversing 
freely  together  many  prejudices  were  removed,  and  all  our 
hearts  seemed  to  be  united  together. 

"  Sunday  15. — The  episcopal  church  is  not  quite  so  large 
as  the  chapel  in  West-street :  it  is  very  elegant  both  with- 
out and  within.  The  service  began  at  half  past  nine.  Such 
a  congregation  had  not  often  been  there  before.  I  preached 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


236 


on,  *  God  created  man  in  his  own  image.'  The  people 
•  seemed  all,  but  their  attention,  dead.'  In  the  afternoon 
the  church  was  so  filled,  as  (they  informed  me)  it  had  not 
been  for  these  fitly  years.  I  preached  on, '  God  hath  given 
us  eternal  life  ;  and  this  life  is  in  his  Son.'  I  believe  God 
appUed  it  to  many  hearts.  Were  it  only  for  this  hour,  I 
am  glad  I  came  to  Holland. 

"Monday  16. — We  set  out  in  a  track-skuit  for  the 
Hague  :  by  the  way  we  saw  a  curiosity ; — the  gaUows 
near  the  canal  surrounded  with  a  knot  of  beautiful  trees ! 
so  the  dying  man  will  have  one  pleasant  prospect  here, 
whatever  befalls  him  hereafter  ! 

"  At  eleven  we  came  to  Delft,  a  large,  handsome  town  ; 
where  we  spent  an  hour  at  a  merchant's  house ;  who,  as 
well  as  his  wife,  a  very  agreeable  woman,  seemed  both  to 
fear  and  to  love  God.  Afterward  we  saw  the  great  church, 
I  think  nearly,  if  not  quite,  as  long  as  York  Minster.  It 
is  exceedingly  light  and  elegant  within,  and  every  part  is 
kept  exquisitely  clean. 

"When  we  came  to  the  Hague,  though  we  had  heard 
much  of  it,  we  were  not  disappointed.  It  is  indeed  beauti- 
ful beyond  expression.  Many  of  the  houses  are  exceed- 
ingly grand,  and  are  finely  intermixed  with  water  and 
wood ;  yet  not  too  close,  but  so  as  to  be  sufficiently  ven- 
tilated by  the  air. 

"  Being  invited  to  tea  by  Madam  de  Vassenaar,  (one  of 
the  first  quality  in  the  Hague,)  I  waited  upon  her  in  the 
afternoon.  She  received  us  with  that  easy  openness  and 
aflfability,  which  is  almost  peculiar  to  Christians  and  per- 
sons of  quality.  Soon  after  came  ten  or  twelve  ladies 
more  who  seemed  to  be  of  her  own  rank,  (though  dressed 
quite  plainly,)  and  two  most  agreeable  gentlemen  :  one 
of  whom,  I  afterward  understood,  was  a  colonel  in  the 
prince's  guards.  After  tea  I  expounded  the  three  first 
verses  of  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  First  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians :  Captain  M.  interpreted,  sentence  by  sen- 
tence. I  then  pi'ayed,  and  Colonel  V.  after  me.  I  believe 
this  hour  was  well  employed. 

"  Tuesday  17. — We  dined  at  Mrs.  L  's,  in  such  a 

family  as  I  have  seldom  seen.  Her  mother,  upward  of 
seventy,  seemed  to  be  continually  rejoicing  in  God  he- 
Saviour.   The  daughter  breathes  the  same  spirit ;  and  her 


236 


LIFE  OF  THE 


grandchildren,  three  little  girls  and  a  boy,  seem  to  be  all 
love.  I  have  not  seen  four  such  children  together  in  Eng- 
land. A  gentleman  coming  in  after  dinner,  I  found  a 
particular  desire  to  pray  for  him.  In  a  little  while  he 
melted  into  tears,  as  indeed  did  most  of  the  company, 
Wednesday  18. — In  the  afternoon  Madam  de  Vassenaar  in- 
vited us  to  a  meeting  at  a  neighbouring  lady's  house.  I 
expounded  Gal.  vi,  14,  and  Mr.  M.  interpreted  as  before. 

"  Thursday  19. — We  took  boat  at  seven.  Mrs.  L.,  and 
one  of  her  relations,  being  unwilling  to  part  so  soon,  bore 
us  company  to  Leyden,  a  large  and  populous  town,  but  not 
so  pleasant  as  Rotterdam.  In  the  afternoon  we  went  on 
to  Haerlem,  where  a  plain  good  man  and  his  wife  received 
us  in  a  most  affectionate  manner.  At  six  we  took  boat 
again  :  as  it  was  filled  from  end  to  end,  I  was  afraid  we 
should  not  have  a  very  pleasant  journey.  After  Mr.  Fer- 
guson had  told  the  people  who  we  were,  we  made  a  slight 
excuse,  and  sung  a  hymn  :  they  were  all  attention.  We 
then  talked  a  little,  by  means  of  our  interpreter,  and  desired 
that  any  of  them  who  pleased  would  sing.  Four  persons 
did  so,  and  sung  well :  after  awhile  we  sung  again.  So 
did  one  or  two  of  them  :  and  all  our  hearts  were  strangely 
knit  together,  so  that  when  we  came  to  Amsterdam,  they 
dismissed  us  with  abundance  of  blessings. 

"  Friday  20. — At  five  in  the  evening  we  drank  tea  at  a 

merchant's,  Mr.  G  's,  where  I  had  a  long  conversation 

with  Mr.  de  H.,  one  of  the  most  learned  as  well  as  popular 
ministers  in  the  city  ;  and  I  believe  (what  is  far  more  im- 
portant)  he  is  truly  alive  to  God.  He  spoke  Latin  well, 
and  seemed  to  be  one  of  a  strong  understanding,  as  well  as 
of  an  excellent  spirit.  In  returning  to  our  inn,  we  called 
at  a  stationer's,  and  though  we  spent  but  a  few  minutes,  it 
was  enough  to  convince  us  of  his  strong  affection,  even  to 
strangers.  What  a  change  does  the  grace  of  God  make  in 
the  heart !  Shyness  and  stiffness  are  now  no  more  ! 

"  Sunday  22. — I  went  to  the  New  Church,  so  called 
still,  though  four  or  five  hundred  years  old.  It  is  larger, 
higher,  and  better  illuminated  than  most  of  our  cathedrals. 
The  screen  that  divides  the  church  from  the  choir,  is  of 
polished  brass,  and  shines  like  gold.  I  understood  the 
psalms  that  were  sung,  and  the  text  well,  and  a  little  of  the 
sermon  ;  which  Mr.  de  H,  delivered  with  great  earnestness. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


237 


At  two  I  began  the  service  at  the  EngHsh  church,  an  ele- 
gant building,  about  the  size  of  West-street  chapel ;  only  it 
has  no  galleries,  nor  have  any  of  the  churches  in  Holland. 
I  preached  on  Isaiah  Iv,  6,  7,  and  I  am  persuaded  many 
received  the  truth  in  the  love  thereof. 

"  After  service  I  spent  another  hour  at  Mr.  V.'s.  Mrs. 
V.  again  asked  me  abundance  of  questions  concerning 
deliverance  from  sin,  and  seemed  a  good  deal  better  satis- 
fied with  regard  to  the  great  and  precious  promises.  Thence 
we  went  to  Mr.  B.,  who  had  lately  found  peace  with  God. 
He  was  full  of  faith  and  love,  and  could  hardly  mention  the 
goodness  of  God  without  tears.  His  wife  appeared  to  be 
of  the  same  spirit,  so  that  our  hearts  Avere  soon  knit  to- 
gether. From  thence  we  went  to  another  family,  where  a 
large  company  were  assembled  :  but  all  seemed  open  to 
receive  instruction,  and  desirous  to  be  altogether  Christians. 

"  Wednesday  25. — We  took  boat  for  Haerlem.  The 
great  church  here  is  a  noble  structure,  equalled  by  few 
cathedrals  in  England,  either  in  length,  breadth,  or  height : 
the  organ  is  the  largest  I  ever  saw,  and  is  said  to  be  the 
finest  in  Europe.  Hence  we  went  to  Mr.  Van  K.'s,  whose 
wife  was  convinced  of  sin,  and  brought  to  God,  by  reading 
Mr.  Whitefield's  Sermons. 

"  Here  we  were  at  home.  Before  dinner  we  took  a  walk 
in  Haerlem  wood.  It  adjoins  to  the  town,  and  is  cut  out 
in  many  shady  walks,  with  lovely  vistas  shooting  out  every 
way.  The  walk  from  the  Hague  to  Scheveling  is  pleasant ; 
those  near  Amsterdam  more  so  ;  but  these  exceed  them  all. 

"  We  returned  in  the  afternoon  to  Amsterdam,  and  in  the 
evening  took  leave  of  as  many  of  our  friends  as  we  could. 
How  entirely  were  wc  mistaken  in  the  Hollanders,  suppos- 
ing them  to  be  of  a  cold,  phlegmatic,  unfriendly  temper !  I 
have  not  met  with  a  more  warmly  affectionate  people  in  all 
Europe  !    No,  not  in  Ireland  ! 

"  Thursday  26. — Our  friends  having  largely  provided  us 
with  wine  and  fruits  for  our  little  journey,  we  took  boat  in 
a  lovely  morning  for  Utrecht,  with  Mr.  Van  K.'s  sister, 
A\  ho  in  the  way  gave  us  a  striking  account.  '  In  that  house,' 
said  she,  (pointing  to  it  as  we  went  by,)  'my  husband  and  I 
lived  ;  and  that  church  adjoining  it,  was  his  church.  Five 
A  cars  ago,  we  were  sitting  together,  being  in  perfect  health, 
Avhen  he  dropped  down,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  died  • 


238 


LIFE  OF  THB 


I  lifted  up  my  heart  and  said,  Lord,  thou  art  my  husband 
now;  and  found  no  will  but  his.'  This  was  a  trial  worthy 
of  a  Christian :  and  she  has  ever  since  made  her  word  good. 
We  were  scarcely  got  to  our  inn  at  Utrecht  when  Miss  L. 
came ;  I  found  her  just  such  as  I  expected.  She  came 
on  purpose  from  her  father's  country  house,  where  all  the 
family  were.  I  observe  of  all  the  pious  people  in  Holland, 
that,  without  any  rule  but  the  word  of  God,  they  dress  as 
plainly  as  Miss  March  did  formerly,  and  Miss  Johnson 
does  now !  And  considering  the  vast  disadvantage  they 
are  under,  having  no  connection  with  each  other,  and 
being  under  no  such  discipline  at  all  aa  we  are,  I  wonder 
at  the  grace  of  God  that  is  in  them. 

"  Saturday  28. — I  have  this  day  lived  fourscore  years  ; 
and  by  the  mercy  of  God,  my  eyes  are  not  waxed  dim,  and 
what  Uttle  strength  of  body  or  mind  I  had  thirty  years 
since,  is  just  the  same  I  have  now.  God  grant  I  may  never 
live  to  be  useless.    Rather  may  I 

'  My  body  with  my  charge  lay  down, 
And  cease  at  once  to  work  and  live.' 

"  Sunday  29. — At  ten  I  began  the  service  in  the  English 
church  in  Utrecht.  I  believe  all  the  English  in  the  city 
were  present,  and  forty  or  fifty  Hollanders.  I  preached  on 
the  13th  of  the  First  of  Corinthians,  I  think  as  searchingly 
as  ever  in  my  life.  Afterward  a  merchant  invited  me  to 
dinner :  for  six  years  he  had  been  at  death's  door  by  an 
asthma,  and  was  extremely  ill  last  night ;  but  this  morning, 
without  any  visible  cause,  he  was  well,  and  walked  across 
the  city  to  the  church.  He  seemed  to  be  deeply  acquainted 
with  religion,  and  made  me  promise,  if  I  came  to  Utrecht 
again,  to  make  his  house  my  home. 

"  In  the  evening,  a  large  company  of  us  met  at  Miss  L.'s, 
where  I  was  desii'ed  to  repeat  the  substance  of  my  morning 
sermon.  I  did  so,  Mr.  Toydemea,  (the  professor  of  law 
in  the  university,)  interpreting  it  sentence  by  sentence. 
They  then  sung  a  Dutch  hymn,  and  we  an  English  one. 
Afterward  Mr.  Regulet,  a  venerable  old  man,  spent  some 
time  in  prayer  for  the  establishment  of  peace  and  love 
between  the  two  nations.  ' 

"Tuesday,  July  1. — I  Called  on  as  many  as  I  could  of 
my  friends,  and  we  parted  with  much  affection.  We  then 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


239 


hired  a  yacht,  which  brought  us  to  Helvoetsluys,  about 
eleven  the  next  day.  At  two  we  "went  on  board  :  but  the 
wind  turning  against  us,  -we  did  not  reach  Harwich  till 
about  nine  on  Friday  morning.  After  a  little  rest,  we 
procured  a  carriage,  and  reached  London  about  eleven  at 
night. 

I  can  by  no  means  regret  either  the  trouble  or  expense 
which  attended  this  Uttle  journey.  It  opened  me  a  way 
into,  as  it  were,  a  new  world,  where  the  land,  the  buildings 
the  people,  the  customs  were  all  such  as  I  had  never  seen 
before :  but  as  those  with  whom  I  conversed  were  of  the 
same  spirit  with  my  friends  in  England,  I  was  as  much 
at  home  in  Utrecht  and  Amsterdam,  as  in  Bristol  and 
London." 

That  provision  for  the  stability  and  the  govei-nment  ol 
the  Connection  after  his  death,  which  had  been  to  Mr 
Wesley  a  matter  of  serious  concern  for  several  years,  was 
accomplished  in  1784,  and  gave  him,  whenever  he  subse- 
quently  adverted  to  the  subject,  the  greatest  satisfaction. 
From  this  time  he  felt  that  he  had  nothing  more  to  do, 
than  to  spend  his  remaining  life  in  the  same  spiritual  la- 
bours in  which  he  had  been  so  long  engaged ;  and  that  he 
had  done  all  that  a  true  prudence  required,  to  provide  for 
the  continuance  and  extension  of  a  work  which  had  so 
strangely  enlarged  under  his  superintendence. 

This  settlement  was  effected  by  a  legal  instrument, 
enrolled  in  chancery,  called  "  A  Deed  of  Declaration,"  in 
which  one  hundred  preachers,  mentioned  by  name,  were 
declared  to  be  "  the  conference  of  the  people  called  Me- 
thodists." By  means  of  this  deed,  a  legal  description  was 
given  to  the  term  conference,  and  the  settlement  of  the 
chapels  upon  trustees  was  provided  for ;  so  that  the  ap- 
pointment of  preachers  to  officiate  in  them  should  be  vested 
in  the  conference,  as  it  had  heretofore  been  in  Mr.  Wes- 
ley. The  deed  also  declares  how  the  succession  and  iden- 
tity of  the  yearly  conference  is  to  be  continued,  and  con- 
tains various  regulations  as  to  the  choice  of  a  president 
and  secretary,  the  filling  up  of  vacancies,  expulsions,  &c. 
Thus  "  the  succession,"  as  it  was  called  in  Mr.  Charles 
W  esley's  letter,  above  quoted,  was  provided  for ;  and  the 
conference,  with  its  president,  chosen  annually,  came  into 
Ihe  place  of  the  founder  of  the  Connection,  and  has  so 


240 


MFB  OP  THE 


continued  to  the  present  day.  As  the  whole  of  the  preach- 
ers were  not  included  in  the  deed,  and  a  few  who  thought 
themselves  equally  entitled  to  be  of  the  hundred  preachers 
who  thus  formed  the  legal  conference,  were  excepted, 
some  dissatisfaction  arose  ;  but  as  all  the  preachers  were 
eligible  to  be  introduced  into  that  body,  as  vacancies  oc- 
curred, this  feeling  was  but  partial,  and  soon  subsided,* 
All  the  preachers  in  full  connection  were  also  allowed  to 
vote  in  the  conference  ;  and  subsequently,  those  who  were 
not  of  the  hundred,  but  had  been  in  connection  a  certain 
number  of  years,  were  permitted,  by  their  votes,  to  put  the 
president  into  nomination  for  the  confirmation  of  the  legal 
conference.  Thus  all  reasonable  ground  for  mistrust  and 
jealousy  was  removed  from  the  body  of  the  preachers  at 
large ;  and  with  respect  to  the  hundred  preachers  them- 
selves, the  president  being  chosen  annually,  and  each  being 
eligible  to  that  honour,  efficiency  of  administration  was 
wisely  connected  with  equality.  The  consequence  has 
been,  that  the  preachers  have  generally  remained  most 
firmly  united  by  affection  and  mutual  confidence,  and  that 
few  serious  disputes  have  ever  arisen  among  them,  or  have 
extended  beyond  a  very  few  individuals.  Ecclesiastical 
history  does  not,  perhaps,  present  an  instance  of  an  equal 
number  of  ministers  brought  into  contact  so  close,  and 
called  so  frequently  together,  for  the  discussion  of  various 
subjects,  among  whom  so  much  general  unanimity,  both 
as  to  doctrines  and  points  of  disciphne  has  prevailed,  join- 
ed with  so  much  real  good  will  and  friendship  toward 
each  other,  for  so  great  a  number  of  years.  This  is  the 
more  remarkable,  as  by  their  frequent  changes  from  sta- 
tion to  station,  opposite  interests  and  feelings  are  very 

*  "  Messrs.  John  Hampson,  sen.,  and  John  Hampson,  Jan.,  his  son  , 
William  Eells,  and  Joseph  Pilmoor,  with  a  few  other  travelling 
preachers,  were  greatly  offonded  that  their  names  were  not  inserted 
in  the  deed.  By  Mr.  Fletcher's  friendly  efforts,  a  partial  roconcilij- 
tion  was  effected  between  them  and  Mr.  Wesley ;  but  it  was  of  short 
continuance.  Soon  after  the  conference,  1784,  Mr.  Hampson,  senior, 
became  an  independent  minister  ;  but  being  old  and  infirm,  and  the 
people  poor  among  whom  he  laboured,  he  was  assisted  out  of  tho 
preachers'  fund  while  he  lived.  He  died  in  the  year  1795.  Mr. 
Hampson,  jnn.,  procured  ordination  in  the  Established  Church,  and 
got  a  living  in  Sunderland,  in  the  north  of  England.  Mr.  Eells  also 
left  the  Connection,  and,  some  time  after,  joined  Mr.  Atlay  v' 
Dewsbury  ;  and  Mr.  Pilmoor  went  to  America." — Myles. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


241 


often  brought  into  conflict.  The  final  decisions  of  the 
conference  on  their  appointment  to  these  stations,  gene- 
rally the  most  perplexing  part  of  its  annual  business,  are, 
however,  cheerfully  or  patiently  submitted  to,  from  the 
knowledge  that  each  has  of  the  public  spirit  with  which 
that  body  is  actuated,  and  the  frank  and  brotherly  manner 
in  which  all  its  proceedings  are  conducted.  The  order  of 
proceeding  in  the  business  of  the  conference  is  the  same 
as  in  the  days  of  Mr.  Wesley.  It  admits  candidates  for 
the  ministiy,  on  proper  recommendation  from  the  superin- 
tendents  and  district  meetings  ;  examines  those  who  have 
completed  their  probation  of  four  years,  and  receives  the 
approved  into  full  connection,  which  is  its  ordination  ; 
investigates,  without  any  exception,  the  character  and 
talents  of  those  who  are  akeady  in  connection  year  by 
year  ;  appoints  the  stations  of  the  year  ensuing  ;  sends 
additional  preachers  to  new  places ;  receives  the  reports 
of  the  committees  appointed  to  manage  and  distribute 
various  funds ;  reviews  the  state  of  the  societies ;  and 
issues  an  annual  pastoral  address.  At  the  time  of  the 
meeting  of  the  conferences,  beside  the  Sunday  ser\'ices, 
public  worship  is  held  early  in  the  morning,  and  in  the 
evening  of  eveiy  day  except  Saturday,  which  is  usually 
attended  by  great  multitudes.  The  business  of  each  con- 
ference,  exclusive  of  that  done  in  committees  which  meet 
previously,  occupies,  on  the  average,  about  a  fortnight  in 
every  year.  Were  it  not  for  the  district  meetings,  com. 
posed  of  the  preachers,  and  the  stewards  of  a  number  of 
circuits,  or  stations,  in  different  parts  of  the  kingdom,  (an 
arrangement  which  was  adopted  after  Mr.  Wesley's  death,) 
the  business  of  the  conference  would  require  a  much  longer 
time  to  transact ;  but  in  these  meetings  much  is  prepared 
for  its  final  decision. 

In  this  important  and  wise  settlement  of  the  govern- 
ment  of  the  Connection  by  its  founder,  there  appears  but 
one  regulation  which  seems  to  controvert  that  leading 
maxim  to  which  he  had  always  respect,  namely,  to  be 
guided  by  circumstances  in  matters  not  determined  by  some 
great  principle.  I  alhide  to  the  proviso  which  obliges  the 
conference  not  to  appoint  any  preacher  to  the  same  chapel 
for  more  than  three  years  successively,  thus  binding  an 
itinerant  ministry  upon  the  societies  for  ever.  Whether 
21 


242 


LIFE  OF  THE 


this  system  of  changing  ministers  be  essential  to  the  spi- 
ritual  interests  of  the  body  or  not,  or  whether  it  might  not 
be  usefully  modified,  will  be  matters  of  opinion  ;  but  the 
point  ought  perhaps  to  have  been  left  more  at  liberty.* 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  state  in  which  the  separation  of  the  United  States 
from  the  mother  country  left  the  Methodist  American 

[*  With  the  most  respactful  deference  for  the  judgment  of  our  bo- 
loved  author,  whose  Methodistical  orthodoxy  can  so  rarely  even  be 
questioned,  we  must  beg  leave  to  say  that  in  our  humble  opinion  this 
very  proviso  in  Mr.  Wesley's  Deed  of  Declaration,  for  the  permanent 
establishment  of  the  fundamental  principles  by  which  the  conference 
should  ever  thereafter  be  governed,  was  one  of  the  wisest  measurss  in 
the  whole  instrument ;  and  in  this  opinion,  we  greatly  mistake  if 
ninety-nine  hundredths,  at  least,  of  the  whole  American  Methodist 
Episcopal  body  do  not  accord.  The  great  inconvenience  of  this  sys 
tem  to  itinerant  ministers  themselves,  and  the  consequent  tempta 
tion  to  modify  or  to  depart  from  it,  we  well  know ;  and  so  did  Mr. 
Wesley.  His  own  inclination  from  youth,  he  often  declared,  was 
to  saunter  among  academic  shades,  and  be  a  philosophical  sluggard, 
rather  than  an  itinerant  preacher.  He  knew  that  similar  tempta- 
tions, with  the  enjoyments  of  domestic  life,  &c,  would  increase  in 
their  enticing  power,  as  Methodism  itself  should  increase,  and  the 
circumstances  both  of  the  people  and  of  the  preachers  become  im. 
proved.  And  believing,  as  he  firmly  did,  that  an  itinerant  ministry 
was  essential  to  the  most  rapid  and  extensive  spread  of  the  Gospel, 
and  to  the  salvation  of  the  greatest  number  of  souls,  till  time  shall  end, 
he  hence,  in  conformity  with  this  conviction,  made  this  an  unaltera- 
ble principle  in  the  economy  of  which  he  was  the  founder.  And  has 
not  all  our  experience  attested  his  wisdom  ?  Mr.  Watson,  we  know, 
says  no  more  than  that  "  perhaps"  the  point  ought  to  have  been  left 
more  at  liberty ;  and  is  by  no  means  to  be  understood,  we  are  persuad- 
ed, as  being  in  fuvourof  a  change,  even  if  the  liberty  were  possessed. 
Indeed,  other  denominations  are  now  beginning  both  to  sea  the 
incomparable  efficiency  of  the  itinerant  system,  and  to  act  upon  it ; — 
not  only  by  the  establishment  of  itinerant  missions,  but  of  regular  cir- 
cuits, very  much  on  our  plan.  We  wish  them  God  speed.  But  let  us 
not  retrograde  whilst  otiiers  advance.  Rather,  let  us  give  the  more 
earnest  iieed  that  none  take  our  crown, — that  we  lose  not  the  things 
we  have  already  wrought,  but  receive  a  full  reward.  It  is  the  glory  of 
revivingthis  apostolical  system  that  sheds  its  brightest  lustre  on  the 
name  and  the  memory  of  Wesley.  May  it  be  that  of  his  successors  to 
perpetuate  it,  and,  in  order  thereto,  to  keep  themselves  beyond  the 
reach  of  even  temptation  to  do  otherwise.  If  in  this  note  we  seem  to 
dissent  in  any  measure  from  an  incidental  suggestion  of  our  excellent 
author,  we  have  the  satisfaction,  on  the  otlier  hand,  to  be  sustained 
by  the  judgment  and  wisdom  of  Mr.  Wesley. — American  Edit.] 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLET. 


243 


Societies,  had  become  a  matter  of  serious  concern  to  Mr. 
Wesley,  and  presented  to  him  a  new  case,  for  which  it  was 
imperative  to  make  some  provision.    This,  however,  could 
not  be  done  but  by  a  proceeding  which  he  foresaw  would 
lay  him  open  to  much  remark,  and  some  censure  from  the 
rigid  English  Episcopalians.    But  with  him,  the  principle 
of  making  every  thing  indifferent  give  place  to  the  neces- 
sity of  doing  good  or  preventing  evil,  was  paramount ;  and 
when  that  necessity  was  clearly  made  out,  he  was  not  a  man 
to  hesitate.    The  mission  of  Messrs.  Boardman  and  Pil- 
moor  to  America  has  been  already  mentioned.  Two 
years  afterward,  in  1771,  Mr.  Wesley  sent  out  Messrs. 
Asbury  and  Wright ;  and  in  1773,  Messrs.  Rankin  and 
Shadford.    In  1777,  the  preachers  in  the  different  circuits 
in  America  had  amounted  to  forty,  and  the  societies  had 
also  greatly  increased.    These  were  scattered  in  towns 
and  settlements  so  distant  that  it  required  constant  and 
I    extensive  travelling  from  the  preachers  to  supply  them  with 
[    the  word  of  God.*    The  two  last-mentioned  preachers 
j    returned,  after  employing  themselves  on  the  mission  for 
!    about  five  years ;  and  Mr.  Asbun ,  a  true  itinerant,  who  in 
this  respect  followed  in  America  the  un-wearied  example  of 
Mr.  Wesley,  gradually  acquired  a  great  and  deserved  influ- 
ence,  which,  supported  as  it  was  by  his  excellent  sense, 
moderating  temper,  and  entire  devotedness  to  the  service 
of  God,  increased  rather  than  diminished  to  the  end  of  a 
protracted  life.    The  American  preachers,  like  those  in 
England,  were  at  first  restrained  by  Mr.  Wesley  from 
.    administering  either  of  the  sacraments ;  but  when,  through 
,    the  war,  and  the  acquisition  of  independence  by  the  States, 
s    most  of  the  clergy  of  the  Church  of  England  had  left  the 
Ji    country,  neither  the  children  of  the  members  of  the  Me- 

[*  Messrs.  Boardman  and  Pilmoor  returned  to  England  in  1774  ; 

j    Messrs.  Rankin  and  Rodda  in  1777  ;  and  Mr.  Sliadford  in  1778.  Mr. 

y  Pilmoor  came  to  America  again  after  the  revolutionary  war,  took 
orders  in  the  Proti-stant  Episcopal  Churcli,  and  died,  at  an  advanced 
age,  in  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Watson  states,  in  a  preceding  nob;,  that 
Mr.  Pilmoor  was  one  of  tliose  few  itinerant  preachers  who  were  much 
offended  because  his  name  was  not  inserted  in  Mr.  Wesley's  Deed  of 
Declaration,  constituting  the  legal  conference.  This,  in  all  proba. 
bility,  had  a  principal  influence  in  liis  coming  to  America  again,  and 
taking  orders  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  We  believe,  how. 
ever,  that  he  always  continued  friendly  with  our  body,  and  lived  and 
I  dkd  an  evangelical  and  highly  respected  minister. — American  Edit.] 

1 


S44 


LIFE  OF  THK 


thodist  Societies  could  be  baptized,  nor  the  Lord's  Supper 
administered  among  them,  without  a  change  of  the  original 
plan.  Mr.  Asbuiy's  predilections  for  the  former  order  of 
things  prevented  him  from  listening  to  the  request  of  the 
American  societies  to  be  formed  into  a  regular  Church, 
and  furnished  with  all  its  spiritual  privileges ;  and  a  divi- 
sion  had  already  taken  place  among  them.  This  breach, 
however,  Mr.  Asbury  had  the  address  to  heal;  and  at  the 
peace  he  laid  the  whole  case  before  Mr.  Wesley.  The 
result  will  be  seen  in  the  following  letter  : — 

"  To  Dr.  Coke,  Mr.  Asbury,  and  our  Brethren  in 
North  America. 

"  Bristol,  September  10,  1784. 

"  By  a  very  uncommon  train  of  providences,  many  of  the 
provinces  of  North  America  are  totally  disjoined  from  their 
mother  country,  and  erected  into  independent  States.  The 
English  government  has  no  authority  over  them,  either  civil 
or  ecclesiastical,  any  more  than  over  the  States  of  Holland. 
A  civil  authority  is  exercised  over  them,  partly  by  the  con- 
gress,  partly  by  the  provincial  assemblies.  But  no  one 
either  exercises  or  claims  any  ecclesiastical  authority  at 
all.  In  this  pecuhar  situation,  some  thousands  of  the 
inhabitants  of  these  States  desire  my  advice ;  and  in  com- 
pliance with  their  desire,  I  have  drawn  up  a  little  sketch. 

"  Lord  King's  account  of  the  primitive  Church  convinced 
me,  many  years  ago,  that  bishops  and  pi-esbyters  are  the 
same  order,  and  consequently  have  the  same  right  to  ordain. 
For  many  years  I  have  been  importuned,  from  time  to  time, 
to  exercise  this  right,  by  ordaining  part  of  our  travelling 
preachers  ;  but  I  have  still  refused,  not  only  for  peace'  sake, 
but  because  I  was  determined,  as  little  as  possible,  to  violate 
the  established  order  of  the  National  Church  to  which  I  be- 
longed. 

"  But  the  case  is  widely  different  between  England  and 
North  America.  Here  there  are  bishops  who  have  a  legal 
jurisdiction.  In  America  there  are  none,  neither  any  parish 
ministers.  So  that,  for  some  hundred  miles  together,  there 
is  none  either  to  baptize  or  to  administer  the  Lord's  Supper. 
Here,  therefore,  my  scruples  are  at  an  end ;  and  I  conceive 
myself  at  full  liberty,  as  I  violate  no  order,  and  invade  no 
man's  right,  by  appointing  and  sending  labourers  into  the 
harvest. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


246 


"  I  have  accordingly  appointed  Dr.  Coke  and  Mr.  Fran- 
cis Asbury  to  be  joint  superintendents  over  our  brethren 
in  North  America,  as  also  Richard  Whatcoat  and  Thomas 
Vasey  to  act  as  elders  among  them,  by  baptizing  and 
administering  the  Lord's  Supper.  And  I  have  prepared  a 
liturgy,  little  differing  from  that  of  the  Church  of  England, 
(I  think  the  best  constituted  national  Church  in  the  world,) 
which  I  advise  all  the  travelling  preachers  to  use  on  the 
Lord's  day,  in  all  the  congregations,  reading  the  litany 
only  on  Wednesdays  and  Fridays,  and  praying  extempore 
on  all  other  days.  I  also  advise  the  elders  to  administer 
the  Supper  of  the  Lord  on  every  Lord's  day. 

"  If  any  one  will  point  out  a  more  rational  and  Scrip, 
tural  way  of  feeding  and  guiding  those  poor  sheep  in  the 
wilderness,  I  will  gladly  embrace  it.  At  present  I  cannot 
see  any  better  method  than  that  I  have  taken. 

"  It  has,  indeed,  been  proposed  to  desire  the  English 
bishops  to  ordain  part  of  our  preachers  for  America.  But 
to  this  I  object,  1.  I  desired  the  bishop  of  London  to 
ordain  only  one,  but  could  not  prevail :  2.  If  they  consent- 
ed, we  know  the  slowness  of  their  proceedings ;  but  the 
matter  admits  of  no  delay  :  3.  If  they  would  ordain  them 
now,  they  would  likewise  expect  to  govern  them.  And 
how  grievously  would  this  entangle  us  ?  4.  As  our  Ameri- 
can brethren  are  now  totally  disentangled  both  from  the 
state  and  from  the  English  hierarchy,  we  dare  not  entangle 
them  again  either  with  the  one  or  the  other.  They  are  now 
at  full  liberty  simply  to  follow  the  Scriptures  and  the  pri- 
mitive Church.  And  we  judge  it  best  that  they  should 
stand  fast  in  that  liberty  wherewith  God  has  so  strangely 
made  them  free.  John  Wesley." 

Two  persons  were  thus  appointed  as  superintendents  or 
bishops,  and  two  as  elders,  with  power  to  administer  the 
sacraments,  and  the  American  Methodists  were  formed 
into  a  Church,  because  they  could  no  longer  remain  a  so- 
ciety attached  to  a  colonial  establishment  which  then  had 
ceased  to  exist.  The  propriety  and  even  necessity  of  this 
step  is  sufficiently  apparent ;  but  tlie  mode  adopted  expos- 
ed Mr.  Wesley  to  the  sarcasms  of  his  brother,  wlio  was 
not  a  convert  to  his  opinion  as  to  the  identity  of  the  order 
of  bishops  and  presbyters  ;  and  to  all  High  Churchmen  the 
proceeding  has  had  the  appearance  of  great  irregularity. 
21* 


246 


LIFE  OF  THE 


The  only  real  irregularity,  however,  has  been  generally 
overlooked,  whilst  a  merely  apparent  one  has  been  made 
the  chief  subject  of  animadversion.  The  true  anomaly 
was,  that  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England  should 
ordain,  in  any  form,  without  separating  from  that  Church, 
and  formally  disavowing  its  authority  ;  and  yet,  if  its  spi- 
ritual governors  did  not  choose  to  censure  and  disown  him 
for  denying  the  figment  of  the  uninterrupted  succession, 
which  he  openly  said  "  he  knew  to  be  a  fable ;"  for  maintain- 
ing that  bishops  and  priests  were  originally  one  order  only ; 
(points,  let  it  be  observed,  which  perhaps  but  few  Church- 
men will  now,  and  certainly  but  few  at  that  time,  would 
very  seriously  maintain,  so  decisive  is  the  evidence  of  Scrip- 
ture and  antiquity  against  them,  and  so  completely  was  the 
doctrine  of  the  three  orders  given  up  by  the  founders  of  the 
English  Church  itself  ;)*  nor,  finally,  for  proceeding  to  act 
upon  that  principle  by  giving  orders ;  it  would  be  hard  to 
prove  that  he  was  under  any  moral  obligation  to  withdraw 
from  the  Church.  The  bishops  did  not  institute  proceed- 
ings against  him,  and  why  should  he  formally  renounce 
them  altogether  ?  It  was  doubtless  such  a  view  of  his  lib- 
erty,  in  this  respect,  that  made  him  say  on  this  occasion, 

*  "  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  room  and  office  which  I  have  given 
unto  me  by  Clirist  to  preach  his  Gospel ;  for  it  is  the  power  of  God, 
that  is  to  say,  the  elect  organ  or  instrument  ordained  by  God,  and 
endued  with  such  virtue  and  efficacy,  that  it  is  able  to  give,  and 
administer  effectually,  everlasting  life  unto  all  those  that  will  br. 
lieve  and  obey  unto  the  same. 

"  Item.  That  this  office,  this  power  and  authority,  was  committed 
and  given  by  Christ  and  his  apostles  unto  certain  persons  only, 
that  is  to  say,  unto  priests  and  bishops  whom  they  did  elect,  call 
and  admit  thereunto,  by  their  prayers,  and  imposition  of  their 
hands. 

"  The  truth  is,  there  is  no  7nention  made  of  any  degrees  or  dis- 
tinctions in  orders,  hut  only  of  deacons  or  ministers,  and  of  priests 
or  bishops."  A  declaration  made  of  the  functions  and  divine 
INSTITUTION  OF  BISHOPS  AND  PRIESTS,  Regno  Hen.  [in  the  reign  of 
Henry]  viii,  circiter  [about]  A.  D.  1537-40. 

This  declaration  was  signed  by  Cromwell,  the  vicar-genor  1, 
Cranmer  and  Holgate,  the  archbishops,  with  many  of  their  suffn. 
gans,  together  with  other  persons  intituled, 

"  Sacrtr  Theologies,  Juris  Ecclesiastici  et  Civilis,  Profes.?ores," 
[Professors  of  Divinity,  and  of  Ecclesiastical  and  Civil  Liw.] 

Archbishop  Usher's  plan  for  comprehending  the  Presbyteri  .ns 
and  Episcopalians  in  the  time  of  Charles  I,  was  also  founded  upon 
the  principle  of  bishops  and  presbyters  being  one  order. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


247 


in  answer  to  his  brother,  "  I  firmly  believe  that  I  am  a 
Scriptural  tiriVxeiroc:  as  much  as  any  man  in  England,  or  in 
Europe ;  for  the  uninterrupted  succession  I  know  to  be  a 
fable,  which  no  man  ever  did  or  can  prove.  But  this  does, 
in  no  wise,  interfere  with  my  remaining  in  the  Church  of 
England ;  from  which  I  have  no  more  desire  to  separate 
than  I  had  fifty  years  ago." 

The  point  Avhich  has  been  most  insisted  upon  is  the  ab- 
surdity  of  a  priest  ordaining  bishops.  But  this  absurdity 
could  not  arise  from  the  principle  which  Mr.  Wesley  had 
adopted,  viz.  that  the  orders  were  identical ;  and  the  cen- 
sure therefore  rests  only  upon  the  assumption,  that  bishops 
ind  priests  were  of  different  orders,  which  he  denied.  He 
never  did  pretend  to  ordain  bishops  in  the  modern  sense, 
but  only  according  to  his  view  of  primitive  episcopacy.  Lit- 
tle importance,  therefore,  is  to  be  attached  to  Mr.  Moore's 
statement,  {Life of  Wesley,)  that  Mr.  Wesley  having  named 
Dr.  Coke  and  Mr.  Asbury  simply  superintendents,  he  was 
displeased  when,  in  America,  they  took  the  title  of  bishops. 
The  only  objection  he  could  have  to  the  name  was,  that 
from  long  association  it  was  likely  to  convey  a  meaning 
beyond  his  own  intention.  But  this  was  a  matter  of  mere 
pnidential  feeling,  confined  to  himself:  so  that  neither  are 
Dr.  Coke  and  Mr.  Asbury  to  be  blamed  for  using  that 
appellation  in  Mr.  Wesley's  sense,  which  was  the  same  as 
presbyter  as  far  as  order  was  concerned  ;  nor  the  Ameri- 
can societies,  (as  they  have  sometimes  inconsiderately 
been,)  for  calling  themselves,  in  the  same  view,  "The 
American  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ;"  since  their  epis- 
copacy  is  founded  upon  the  principle  of  bishops  and  presby- 
ters being  of  the  same  degree, — a  more  extended  office  only 
being  assigned  to  the  former,  as  in  the  primitive  Church. 
For  though  nothing  can  be  more  obvious  than  that  the 
primitive  pastors  are  called  bishops,  or  presbyters  indis. 
criminately  in  the  New  Testament ;  yet  at  an  early  period 
those  presbyters  were,  by  way  of  distinction,  denominated 
bishops,  who  presided  in  the  meetings  of  the  presbyters, 
and  were  finally  invested  with  the  government  of  several 
Churches,  with  their  respective  presbyteries  ;  so  that  two 
offices  were  then,  as  in  this  case,  grafted  upon  the  same 
order.  Such  an  arrangement  was  highly  proper  for  Ame- 
rica, where  many  of  the  preachers  were  young,  and  had 


248 


UFB  OF  THE 


also  to  labour  in  distant  and  extensive  circuits,  and  were 
therefore  incapable  of  assisting,  advising,  or  controlling 
each  other.  A  travelling  episcopacy,  or  superintendency, 
was  there  an  extension  of  the  office  of  elder  or  presbyter, 
but  it  of  course  created  no  other  distinction  ;  and  thebish- 
ops  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  America  have  in  practice 
as  well  exemplified  the  primitive  spirit,  as  in  principle  they 
were  conformed  to  the  primitive  discipline.  Dr.  Coke  was 
only  an  occasional  visitant  in  America,  and  though  in  the 
.sense  of  office  he  was  a  bishop  there,  when  he  returned 
home,  as  here  he  had  no  such  office,  so  he  used  no  such 
title,  and  made  no  such  pretension.  Of  this  excellent  man, 
it  ought  here  to  be  said,  that  occasional  visits  to  America 
could  not  satisfy  his  ardent  mind  ;  he  became  the  founder 
and  soul  of  the  Methodist  missions  in  various  parts  of  the 
world,  first  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Wesley,  and  then  in 
conjunction  with  the  conference  ;  and  by  his  voyages,  tra- 
vels, and  labours,  he  erected  a  monument  of  noble  and  disin- 
terested zeal  and  charity,  which  will  never  be  obliterated.* 
But  Mr.  Asbury  remained  the  preaching,  travelling,  self- 
denying  bishop  of  the  American  societies,  till  afterward 
others  were  associated  with  him,  plain  and  simple  in  their 
manners  as  the  rest  of  their  brethren,  and  distinguished 
from  them  only  by  "  labours  more  abundant." 

It  was  by  thus  absurdly  confounding  episcopacy  in  the 
modein  acceptation,  and  in  Mr.  Wesley's  view,  that  a 
good  deal  of  misplaced  wit  was  played  off"  on  this  occa- 
sion ;  and  not  a  little  bitterness  was  expressed  by  many. 
He,  however,  performed  a  great  and  a  good  work,  and  not 
only  provided  for  the  spiritual  wants  of  a  people  who  indi- 
rectly had  sprung  from  his  labours  ;  but  gave  to  the  Ame- 
rican Church  a  form  of  administration  admirably  suited  to 
a  new  and  extensive  empire,  and  under  which  the  socie- 
ties have,  by  the  Divine  blessing,  prospered  beyond  all 
precedent.  Some  letters  passed  between  him  and  Mr. 
Charles  Wesley  on  the  subject  of  the  American  ordina- 

*  Dr.  Coke  connected  himself  with  Mr.  Wesley  in  1776,  as  stated 
by  the  latter  in  his  journal : — "  Being  at  Kingston,  near  Taunton,  I 
found  a  clergyman,  Dr.  Coke,  late  gentleman  commoner  of  Jesus 
College,  iu  Oxford,  who  came  twenty  miles  on  purpose.  I  had 
much  conversation  with  him,  and  a  union  then  began,  which,  I  trust, 
shall  never  end."  His  name  did  not  appear  on  the  .ninutea  till  the 
year  1778.    In  that  year  he  was  appointed  to  labour  in  London 


KEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


249 


tions.  The  first,  written  by  Charles,  was  warm  and  re. 
monstrative ;  the  second,  upon  receiving  hia  brother's 
cahn  answer,  was  more  mild,  and  shows,  that  he  was  less 
afraid  of  what  his  brother  had  done  for  America,  than  that 
Dr.  Coke,  on  his  return,  should  form  the  Methodists  of 
England  into  a  regular  and  separate  Church  also  !  The 
concluding  paragraph  of  this  letter  is,  however,  so  afiect- 
ing,  so  illustrative  of  that  oneness  of  heart  which  no 
difference  of  opinion  between  the  brothers  could  destroy, 
that  it  would  be  unjust  to  the  memorj^-  of  both,  not  to 
insert  it : — 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  intention  to  remain  my  friend. 
Herein  my  heart  is  as  your  heart.  Whom  God  hath  joined, 
let  not  man  put  asunder.  We  have  taken  each  other  for 
better  for  worse,  till  death  do  us — part  ?  no  :  but  eternally 
unite.  Therefore,  in  the  love  which  never  faileth,  I  am, 
"  Your  affectionate  friend  and  brother, 

"  C.  Wesley.  " 

Some  time  after  this,  Mr.  Wesley  appointed  several  of 
the  English  preachers,  by  imposition  of  hands,  to  adminis- 
ter the  sacraments  to  the  societies  in  Scotland.  There 
the  English  estabhshment  did  not  extend,  and  a  necessity 
of  a  somewhat  similar  kind  existed,  though  not  of  so  press- 
ing a  nature  as  in  America.  He,  however,  steadily  objected 
to  give  this  liberty,  generally,  to  his  preachers  in  England  : 
and  those  who  administered  the  sacraments  in  Scotland 
were  not  permitted  to  perform  the  same  office  in  England 
upon  their  return.  The  reason  why  he  refused  to  appoint 
in  the  same  manner,  and  for  the  same  purpose,  for  Eng- 
land is  stated  in  the  letter  above  given.  He  was  satisfied 
of  his  power,  as  a  |)resbyter,  to  ordain  for  such  an  admi- 
nistration ;  but,  he  says,  "  I  have  still  refused,  not  only  for 
peace'  sake,  but,  because  I  was  determined  as  little  as  pos- 
sible to  violate  the  established  order  of  the  National  Church 
to  which  I  belonged."  This  was  a  prudent  principle  most 
sincerely  held  by  him ;  and  it  explains  his  conduct  in  those 
particulars  for  which  he  has  been  censured  by  opposite 
parties.  When  it  could  not  be  avoided,  without  sacrificing 
some  real  good,  he  did  violate  "  the  established  order," 
thinking  that  this  order  was  in  itself  merely  prudential. 
When  that  necessity  did  not  exist,  his  own  predilections, 
and  the  prejudices  of  many  members  of  his  societies, 


250 


LIFE  OF  THE 


enforced  upon  him  this  abstinence  from  innovation.  It  ma)', 
however,  be  asked,  in  what  Ught  Mr.  Wesley's  appoint, 
ments  to  the  ministry,  in  the  case  of  his  own  preachers, 
ought  to  be  viewed.  That  they  were  ordinations  to  the 
work  and  office  of  the  ministry,  cannot  be  reasonably  and 
Scripturally  doubted ;  and  that  they  were  so  in  his  own 
intention,  we  have  before  shown  from  his  own  minutes. 
It  was  required  of  them,  as  early  as  1746,  to  profess  to  be 
"moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  be  called  of  God  to 
preach."  This  professed  call  was  to  be  tested  by  their 
piety,  their  gifts,  and  their  usefulness ;  all  which  points 
were  investigated  ;  and  after  probation  they  were  solemnly 
received  by  prayer  "  to  labour  with  him  in  the  Gospel 
and  from  that  time  were  devoted  wholly  to  their  spiritual 
work,*  including  the  pastoral  care  of  societies.  Here  was 
ordination,  though  without  imposition  of  hands,  which, 
although  an  impressive  ceremony,  enters  not,  as  both  the 
Scriptures  and  the  nature  of  the  thing  itself  point  out,  into 
the  essence  of  ordination  ;  which  is  a  separation  of  men, 
by  ministers,  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  by  solemn  prayer. 
This  was  done  at  every  conference,  by  Mr.  Wesley,  who, 
as  he  had,  as  early  as  1747,  given  up  the  uninterrupted 
succession,  and  the  distinct  order  of  bishops  as  a  fable, 
left  himself,  therefore,  at  liberty  to  appoint  to  the  ministry 
in  his  own  way.  He  made,  it  is  true,  a  distinction  at  one 
time  between  the  primitive  offices  of  evangelists  or  teach- 
ers, and  pastors,  as  to  the  right  of  giving  the  sacraments, 
which  he  thought  belonged  to  the  latter  only ;  but  as  this 
Implied,  that  the  primitive  pastors  had  powers,  which  tiie 
primitive  evangelists,  who  ordained  them,  had  not,  it  was 
too  unsupported  a  notion  for  him  long  to  maintain.  (See 
Moore's  Life  of  Wesley,  book  viii,  chap,  ii.)  Yet,  had 
this  view  of  the  case  been  allowed,  the  preachers  were  not 
mere  teachers,  but  pastors  in  the  fullest  sense.  The)'  not 
only  taught,  but  guided,  and  managed  the  societies ;  receiv- 
ing members,  excluding  members,  and  administering  pri- 
vate, as  well  as  public,  admonitions ;  and  if  they  were 
constituted  teachers  and  pastors  by  his  ordination,  without 

»  It  is  observable,  that  in  the  conference  of  1768  he  enjoined  ab- 
stinence  from  all  secular  things  upon  them,  both  on  the  Scriptural 
principle,  1  Tim.  iv,  13 ;  and  on  the  ground,  that  the  Church,  "  in 
her  office  of  ordination,"  required  this  of  ministers. 


nnV    JOHN  WKSLCY. 


251 


the  circumstance  of  the  imposition  of  hands,  it  is  utterly 
impossible  to  conceive  tiiat  that  ceremony  conveyed  any 
larger  right,  as  such,  to  administer  the  sacraments,  in  the 
case  of  the  few  he  did  ordain  in  that  manner  for  Scotland 
and  America.  As  to  them  it  was  a  form  of  permission 
and  appointment  to  exercise  the  riglit.  His  appointments 
to  the  ministry  every  conference  necessarily  conveyed  all 
the  rights  of  a  pastor,  because  they  conveyed  the  pastoral 
office  ;  but  still  it  did  not  follow,  that  all  the  abstract  rights 
of  the  ministry  thus  conveyed  to  the  body  of  the  preachers, 
should  be  actually  used.  It  was  not  imperative  upon  them 
to  exercise  all  their  functions  ;  and  he  assumed  no  impro- 
per authority  as  the  father  and  founder  of  the  Connection, 
to  determine  to  what  extent  it  was  prudent  to  exercise 
them,  provided  he  was  satisfied  that  the  sacraments  were 
not  put  out  of  the  power  of  the  societies  to  observe.  He  ex- 
ercised  this  suspending  authority  even  over  those  preachers 
whom  he  appointed  to  give  the  sacraments  in  Scotland,  by 
prohibiting  them  from  administering  in  the  English  socie- 
ties, over  which  they  became  pastors.  So  little  difference 
did  his  ordination  by  imposition  of  hands  make  in  their 
case,  even  in  his  own  estimation.*  It  was,  when  it  fol- 
lowed the  usual  mode  of  introducing  candidates  into  the 
ministry,  a  mere  form  of  permission  to  exercise  a  previous 
right  in  a  particular  place,  and  a  solemn  designation  to 
this  service  according  to  a  liturgicn'  form  which  he  greatly 
admired  ;  but  the  true  ordination  of  those  who  were  so 
set  \part  to  administer  the  sacraments  to  the  ministry  itself, 
was  the  same  as  that  of  the  rest  of  their  brethren,  and  took 
place  at  the  same  time.  Thus,  in  Mr.  Wesley's  strongest 
language  to  Mr.  Charles  Perronet  and  the  other  preachers 
who  thought  it  their  duty  to  administer,  he  places  his  objec- 
tion upon  the  decisive  ground  of  his  thinking  it  "  a  sin  ;" 
but  not  from  their  want  of  true  ordination,  to  which  he 
makes  no  allusion  ;-|-  but  he  thought  it  sinful,  because  it 

*  When  a  fjw  of  the  preachers  r^^ccived  ordination  from  a  Grsek 
bishop,  then  in  Englmd,  and  from  whom  hs  was  falsely  reported 
hiins:;lf  to  have  sought  consecration  ;  ho  would  not  suffer  them  to 
administer,  although  hs  did  not  doubt  that  ths  Greek  w  -.s  a  true 
bishop. 

t  As  early  as  1756,  he  siysto  some  of  the  praachers,  "You  think 
It  is  a  duty  to  administer.  Do  so,  and  therein  follow  your  own 
ct.nsrir'no?."    Thit  is,  they  were  at  liberty  to  leave  him  ;  !)!it  not  a 


252 


LIFE  OF  THE 


would  be  injurious  to  the  work  of  God,  and  so  contrary  to 
his  word  and  will.  That  it  was  not  in  his  view  "  a  sin," 
for  want  of  mere  imposition  of  hands,  is  clear  from  the 
facts,  that,  in  one  case,  ho  gave  to  one  of  the  preachers 
leave  to  baptize  and  give  the  sacrament  in  particular  cir- 
cumstances, although  he  had  no  other  ordination  than  his 
being  -'received  into  full  connection"  at  the  conference 
like  the  rest ;  and  allowed  two  others,  Mr.  Highfield  in 
England,  and  Mr.  Myles  in  Dublin,  to  assist  him  in  giving 
the  sacrament  to  the  great  offence  of  the  Church  people 
there.*  That  the  original  designation  of  the  preachers  to 
the  ministry  was  considered  by  the  conferences  after  his 
death, — when  they  were  obliged,  in  order  to  meet  the 
spiritual  wants  and  Scriptural  demands  of  the  people,  to 
administer  the  Lord's  Supper  to  the  societies  in  England, 
— as  a  true  and  full  ordination  to  the  whole  office  of  the 
Christian  ministry,  is  clear  from  their  authorizing  the 
preachers  to  give  the  sacraments,  wli«n  requested  by  the 
societies,  without  re-ordination  for  this  purpose,  although 
they  had  Mr.  Wesley's  Presbyterian  ordination  by  impo- 
sition of  hands  among  themselves,  and  at  their  command, 
if  they  had  judged  it  necessary  to  employ  it.  Their  whole 
proceeding  in  this  respect  was  merely  to  grant  permission 
to  exercise  powers  which  they  believed  to  have  been  pre- 
viously  conveyed  by  Mr.  Wesley,  in  doing  which  they 
differed  from  him  only  in  not  marking  that  permission  with 
any  new  form.  Perhaps  it  might  have  been  an  improve- 
ment, had  they  accompanied  all  their  future  ordinations  by 
the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  president  for  the  time 

word  about  tlia  invalidity  of  their  appointment  to  the  wliolo  work 
of  tho  ministry. 

*  Mr.  Wesley's  innovations  on  Church  order  in  Dublin,  appjar, 
from  sevor<il  of  his  lottars,  to  have  produced  somewhat  outrageous 
attacks  upon  him  from  several  quarters  in  thjit  city.  In  on3  of  tlieiu 
he  siyp,  "  Every  week  I  am  b  :sp!ttorad  in  tlie  public  pap  rs. 
Many  are  in  tears  on  the  occasion;  many  terribly  frightened,  and 
crying  out,  '  O  what  will  tho  end  bo  ?'  What  will  it  bo  ?  Why, 
glory  to  God  in  tho  highoHt,,  and  paaco  and  good  will  among  men." 
Such  was  his  rejoind  u'  to  these  High  Church  alarms.  At  t!ie  sama 
time  it  must  be  conced 'd,  that,  liowevn-  faithful  Mr.  Wesley  was  in 
abiding  by  his  leading  principle  of  m  iking  mere  adherence  to  what 
was  called  "  legular,"  give  place  to  tiie  higher  obligation  of  doing 
good,  he  was  sometimes  apt,  in  defending  himself,  to  be  too  tenacious 
of  app  firing  perf  ctly  conBislent. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


253 


being,  assisted  by  a  few  of  the  senior  preachers,  and  by- 
using  the  fine  Ordination  Service  of  the  Church  of  Eng. 
land  :  not  indeed,  that  this  would  have  given  a  tittle  more 
of  validity  to  the  act ;  but  the  imposition  of  hands  would 
have  been  in  conformity  to  the  usage  of  the  majority  of 
Churches,  and  an  instance  of  deference  to  an  ancient 
Scriptural  form  of  solemn  designation  and  blessing,  used 
on  various  occasions.  The  whole  of  Mr.  Wesley's  pro- 
ceedings, both  as  to  America  and  Scotland,  would  have 
been  as  valid  on  Scriptural  grounds,  had  there  been  no 
other  form  used  than  simple  prayer  for  men,  already  in  the 
ministiy,  going  forth  on  an  important  mission ;  but  as  the 
New  Testament  exhibited  a  profitable  example  of  imposi- 
tion of  hands  in  the  case  of  Paul  and  Barnabas,  who  had 
been  long  before  ordained  to  the  highest  order  of  the 
ministry,  when  sent  forth  into  a  new  field  of  labour,  this 
example  was  followed.* 

*  From  tlie  preceding  observations,  it  will  appear  that  Mr.  We^. 
ley's  ordinations,  both  for  America  and  Scotland,  stood  upon  much 
the  same  ground.  The  full  powers  of  the  ministry  had  before  been 
conveyed  to  the  parties  ;  but  now  they  had  a  special  designation  to 
exercise  them  in  every  respect,  in  a  new  and  peculiar  sphere.  Still 
their  ordination,  by  imposition  of  hands,  did  not  imply  that  their 
former  ordination  was  deficient,  as  to  the  right  of  administering  the 
sacraments  which  it  conveyed ;  for  then,  how  came  Dr.  Coke,  who 
was  already  a  presbyter  of  the  Church  of  England,  to  be  ordained 
again,  when,  according  to  Mr.  Wesley's  own  view,  ho  could  not  be 
higher  in  order  than  a  presbyter,  although  his  powers  might  be  en- 
larged as  to  their  application  ?  The  conference  after  Mr.  Wesley's 
death  took  therefore  the  true  ground,  in  considering  the  act  of  ad- 
mission into  the  ministry,  so  as  to  bo  devoted  wholly  to  it,  and  to 
exorcise  the  pastoral  charge,  to  be  a  true  and  Scriptm-al  ordination 
both  to  preacli  the  word  and  to  administer  the  sacraments  ;  making 
wholly  light  of  the  absurd  pretensions  of  a  few  among  the  preachers, 
who  thought  that  they  had  received  something  more  tlian  their 
brethren  from  the  mere  ceremony  of  the  imposition  of  Mr.  Wesley's 
liands,  subsequent  to  their  ordinary  appointment  by  liira  when  re- 
ceived into  the  body.  Some  of  these,  at  tiic  first  conference  after 
Mr.  Wesley's  death,  stood  upon  this  point ;  but  Mr.  Benson  refuted 
their  notion,  that  imposition  of  hands  was  essential  to  ordination. 
H  j  proved  from  the  New  Testament  that  this  was  but  a  circumstance, 
and  showed  that  the  body  had  always  possessed  a  ministry  Scrip, 
t'.irally  and  therefore  validly  ordained,  although  not  in  the  most 
customary  or  perhaps  in  the  most  influential  form.  Witli  Mr.  Ben. 
son  the  conference  coincided  ;  so  that  ordination,  without  imposition 
of  hands,  has  continued  to  be  the  general  practice  to  the  present  time. 
It  is  remarkable,  that  tho  few  preachers  who  insisted  upon  imposition 


254 


LIFE  OF  THE 


But  we  return  to  the  continued  and  unabated  labours  of 
this  venerable  servant  of  God.  In  1786,  at  the  Bristol 
conference,  the  old  subject  of  separating  from  the  Church 
was  again  discussed,  and,  "without  one  dissenting  voice," 
it  was  determined  to  continue  therein  ;  "  which  determina- 
tion,"  he  remarks,  "  will,  I  doubt  not,  stand,  at  least  till  I 
am  removed  into  a  better  world."  After  the  conference 
was  concluded,  he  paid  a  second  visit  to  Holland,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Brackenbury  and  Mr.  Broadbent, 
preached  in  various  places,  expounded  to  private  companies, 
and  engaged  in  conversation  with  many  learned  and  pious 
individuals.  On  his  return  to  England,  his  journal  presents 
the  usual  record  of  constant  preaching  and  travelling, 
interspersed  with  useful  remark,  and  incident.  A  few 
gleanings  from  it  will  be  read  with  interest : — 

"  Dec.  23,  1786. — By  great  importunity  I  was  induced 
(having  little  hope  of  doing  good)  to  visit  two  of  the  felons 
in  Newgate,  who  lay  under  sentence  of  death.  They 
appeared  serious  :  but  I  can  lay  little  stress  on  appearances 
of  this  kind.  However,  1  wrote  in  their  behalf  to  a  great 
man.  And  perhaps  it  was  in  consequence  of  this  that  they 
had  a  reprieve. 

"  Sunday  24. — I  was  desired  to  preach  at  the  Old  Jewi^ : 
but  the  church  was  cold,  and  so  was  the  congregation.  We 
had  congregations  of  another  kind  the  next  day,  Christmas- 
day,  at  four  in  the  morning,  as  well  as  five  in  the  evening, 
at  the  New  Chapel,  and  at  West-street  Chapel  about  noon. 

"Sunday  31. — From  those  words  of  Isaiah  to  Hezekiah. 
'  Set  thy  house  in  order,'  I  strongly  exhorted  all  who  had 
not  done  it  already,  to  settle  their  temporal  affairs  without 

of  hands  being  csscnti;il  to  ordination,  and  plumsd  themselves  upon 
being  distinguished  from  tli.>ir  br.Hhren  b,;c,iuso  Mr.  Wesley's  hrinds 
had  been  laid  upon  them,  did  not  rcniombor  a  passage  in  a  published 
letter  of  Mr,  Wesley  to  Mr.  Walker  of  Truro,  dated  as  long  beforo 
as  1756,  which  sufficiently  shows  how  totally  disconnected  the  two 
things  were  in  his  mind  ;  or  tint,  if  tliey  advort^^d  to  it,  its  baaring 
in  his  controversy  with  Mr.  Walker  s'lould  not  have  been  pi^rcoivod : 
"  That  tlic  seven  deacons  were  outwardly  ordained  even  to  that  low 
office,  cannot  be  denied.  But  Paul  and  B  iriiabas  were  separated  for 
tho  work  to  which  they  were  called.  This  was  not  ordaining  them  ; 
it  was  only  inducting  them  to  the  province  for  which  our  Lord  had 
appointed  them.  For  this  end  the  prophets  and  teachers  fasted, 
prayed,  and  'laid  their  hands  upon  them,'  a  rite  which  was  used, 
not  in  nrdinatMjj  only,  but  in  blessing,  and  on  many  other  occasions." 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


255 


delay.  It  is  a  strange  madness  which  still  possesses  many 
who  are  in  other  respects  men  of  understanding,  that  they 
put  this  off  from  day  to  day,  till  death  comes  in  an  hour 
when  they  look  not  for  it. 

"  Friday,  Jan.  5,  1787,  and  in  the  vacant  hours  of  the 
following  days,  I  read  Dr.  Hunter's  Lectui»es.  They  are 
very  lively  and  ingenious.  The  language  is  good,  and  the 
thoughts  generally  just.  But  they  do  not  suit  my  taste. 
I  do  not  admire  that  florid  way  of  writing.  Good  sense 
does  not  need  to  be  so  studiously  adorned.  I  love  St. 
fohn's  style,  as  well  as  matter. 

"Sunday,  Feb.  25. — After  taking  a  solemn  leave  of  our 
friends,  both  at  West-street  and  the  New  Chapel,  I  took 
the  mail  coach,  and  the  next  evening  reached  Exeter 
a  little  after  ten  o'clock.  Tuesday,  27. — We  went  on  to 
Plymouth  Dock.  The  large,  new  house,  far  the  best  in 
the  west  of  England,  was  well  filled,  though  on  so  short  a 
warning :  and  they  seemed  cordially  to  receive  the  exhort- 
ation, '  Rejoice  in  the  Lord,  O  ye  righteous.'  I  had  the 
satisfaction  to  find  the  society  here  in  a  more  flourishing 
state  than  ever.  Notwithstanding  all  the  pains  that  have 
been  taken,  and  all  the  art  that  has  been  used  to  tear  them 
asunder,  tliey  cleave  close  together,  and  consequently 
increase  in  number  as  well  as  in  strength. 

"Wednesday,  March  7. — It  rained  much  while  we  were 
at  Plymouth  and  at  the  Dock,  and  most  of  the  waj^  from 
the  Dock  to  Exeter.  But  we  had  lovely  weather  to-day, 
and  came  into  Bath  early  in  the  evening.  So  crowded  a 
house  I  had  not  seen  here  for  many  years.  I  fully  delivered 
my  own  soul,  by  strongly  enforcing  those  awful  words, 
'Many  are  called, but  few  are  chosen.'  I  believe  the  word 
sunk  deep  into  many  hearts.  The  next  evening  we  had 
another  large  congregation  equally  serious.  Thursday  8. 
I  went  on  to  Bristol,  and  the  same  afternoon  Mrs.  Fletcher 
came  thither  from  Madeley.  The  congregation  in  the 
evening  was  exceedingly  large.  I  took  knowledge  what 
spirit  they  were  of.  Indeed  the  work  of  God  has  much  in- 
creased in  Bristol  since  I  washerelast,  especially  among  the 
young  men,  many  of  whom  are  a  pattern  to  all  the  society. 

"  Monday,  April  2. — About  noon  I  preached  at  Stockport, 
and  in  the  evening  at  Manchester,  where  I  fully  delivered 
my  own  soul,  both  then  and  the  next  day.  Wednesday  4.  I 


LIFE  OF  THE 


went  to  Chester,  and  preached  in  the  evening  on  Heb.  iii,  12. 
Finding  there  was  no  packet  at  Parkgate,  I  immediately 
took  places  in  the  mail  coach  for  Holyhead.  The  porter 
called  us  at  two  in  the  morning  on  Thursday,  but  came 
again  in  half  an  hour  to  inform  us  the  coach  was  full :  so 
they  returned  my  money,  and  at  four  I  took  a  post  chaise. 
We  overtook  coach  at  Conway,  and  crossing  the  ferry 
with  tiie  passengers,  wont  forward  without  delay  :  so  we 
came  to  Holyhead  an  hour  before  them,  and  went  on  board 
between  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock.  At  one  we  left  tl>e 
harbour,  and  at  two  the  next  day  came  into  Dublin  bay. 

•«  On  the  road,  and  in  the  ship,  I  read  Mr.  Blackwell's 
'  Sacred  Classics  Illustrated  and  Defended.'  I  think  he 
fully  proves  his  point,  that  there  are  no  expressions  in  the 
New  Testament  which  are  not  found  in  the  best  and  purest 
Greek  authors.  In  the  evening  we  had  a  Sunday's  con- 
gregation,  and  a  blessing  from  on  high. 

Sunday  8.  (Easter  day.) — I  preached  in  Bethesda,  Mr. 
Smytli's  new  chapel  :  it  is  very  neat,  but  not  gay,  and  1 
Ijelievc  will  hold  about  as  many  people  as  West-street 
chapel.  Mr.  Smyth  read  prayers,  and  gave  out  the  hymns, 
which  were  sung  by  fifteen  or  twenty  fine  singers  :  the 
rest  of  the  congregation  listening  with  much  attention,  and 
as  much  devotion  as  they  would  have  done  to  an  opera. 
But  is  this  Christian  v.-orship  ?  Or  ought  it  ever  to  be 
suffered  in  a  Christian  church?  It  was  thought  we  had 
between  seven  and  eight  hundred  communicants  :  and 
indeed  the  power  of  God  was  in  the  midst  of  them.  Our 
own  room  in  the  evening  was  well  filled  with  people,  and 
with  the  presence  of  God. 

"  On  Monday  and  Tuesday  I  preached  again  at  Bethesda, 
and  God  touched  several  hearts,  even  of  the  rich  and  great : 
so  that,  for  the  time  at  least,  thej'^  were  '  almost  persuaded 
to  be  Christians.'  It  seems  as  if  the  good  providence  of 
God  had  prepared  this  place  for  those  rich  and  honourable 
sinners  who  will  not  deign  to  receive  any  message  from 
Goc\,  but  in  a  genteel  way. 

"  Friday  27. — We  went  to  Kilkenny,  nine  and  twenty 
Irish  miles  from  Mount  Mellick.  Religion  was  here  at  a 
low  ebb,  and  scarcely  any  society  left,  when  God  sent 
three  troops  of  horse.  Several  of  the  men  are  full  of  faith 
and  love ;  since  they  came,  the  work  of  God  has  revived 


RBV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


257 


I  never  saw  the  house  so  filled  since  it  was  built.  And 

the  power  of  God  seemed  to  rest  upon  the  congregation, 
as  if  he  would  still  have  a  people  in  this  place. 

"Wed.,  April  9. — We  went  to  Bandon :  here  also  there 
has  been  a  remarkable  work  of  God,  and  yet  not  without 
many  backsliders.  It  was  therefore  my  chief  business  to 
strengthen  the  weak,  and  recall  the  wanderers.  So  in 
the  evening  I  preached  in  the  assembly  room,  (which  was 
offered  me  by  the  provost,)  on,  '  How  shall  I  give  thee 
up,  Ephraim  ?' — and  God  applied  his  word.  At  noon  we 
took  a  walk  to  Castle  Barnard.  Mr.  Barnard  has  given  it 
a  beautiful  front,  nearly  resembling  that  of  Lord  Mans- 
field's  house  at  Caen  Wood,  and  opened  part  of  his  lovely 
park  to  the  house,  which  I  think  has  now  as  beautiful 
a  situation  as  Rockingham-house  in  Yorkshire.  Mr. 
Barnard  much  resembles,  in  person  and  air,  the  late  Sir 
George  Saville.  Though  he  is  far  the  richest  person  in 
these  parts,  he  keeps  no  race  horses  or  hounds,  but  loves 
his  wife  and  home,  and  spends  his  time  and  fortune  in 
improving  his  estate,  and  employing  the  poor.  Gentlemen 
of  this  spirit  are  a  blessing  to  their  neighbourhood.  May 
God  increase  their  number  ! 

"  In  the  evening,  finding  no  building  would  contain  the 
congregation,  I  stood  in  the  main  street,  and  testified  to  a 
listening  multitude,  'This  is  not  your  rest.'  I  then  ad- 
ministered  the  Lord's  Slipper  to  the  society,  and  God  gave 
us  a  remarkable  blessing. 

"  Friday,  May  25. — I  had  a  day  of  rest  in  this  lovely 
family,  (Mr.  Slack's,)  only  preaching  morning  and  evening. 
Saturday  26. — I  preached  at  Ballyconnel  about  eleven.  In 
the  afternoon  I  took  a  walk  in  the  bishop  of  Kilmore's 
garden.  The  house  is  finely  situated  ;  has  two  fronts,  and 
is  fit  for  a  nobleman.  We  then  went  into  the  church  yard, 
and  saw  the  venerable  tomb,  a  plain  flat  stone  inscribed, 
'  Depositum  GuUelmi  BedeL  quondam  Episcopi  KiJmoren. 
sis,'  ['The  body  of  William  Bedel,  formerly  bishop  of 
Kilmore  ;']  over  whom  even  the  rebel  army  sung,  '  Re- 
quiescat  hi  pace  idtimus  Anglorum.'  'Let  the  last  of  the 
Englishmen  icst  in  peace.'  At  seven  I  preached  to  a 
large  congi-egation :  it  blew  a  storm,  but  most  of  the  con- 
gregation were  covered  by  a  kind  of  shed  raised  for  the 
purpose :  and  not  a  few  were  greatly  comforted. 


258 


LIFE  OF  THE 


"  Tuesday  29. — One  of  my  horses  I  was  obliged  to 
leave  in  Dublin,  and  afterward  another  ;  having  bought 
two  to  supply  their  places.  The  third  soon  got  a  swelhng 
in  his  shoulder,  so  that  we  doubted  whether  we  could  go 
on.  And  a  boy  at  Clones,  riding  (1  suppose  galloping)  the 
fourth  over  stones,  the  horse  fell  and  nearly  lamed  himself : 
however,  we  went  on  softly  to  Aughalun,  and  found  such 
a  congregation  as  I  had  not  seen  before  in  the  kingdom. 
The  tent  (that  is,  a  covered  pulpit)  was  placed  at  the  foot  of 
a  green,  sloping  mountain,  on  the  side  of  which  the  huge 
multitude  sat  (as  their  manner  is)  row  above  row.  While 
I  was  explaining,  'God  hath  given  unto  us  his  Holy  Spirit,' 
he  was  indeed  poured  out  in  a  wonderful  manner.  Tears 
of  joy,  and  cries  were  heard  on  every  side  ;  only  so  far 
suppi-essed  as  not  to  drown  my  voice.  I  cannot  but  hope 
that  many  will  have  cause  to  bless  God  for  that  hour  to 
all  eternity. 

'•Thursday  31. — We  went  over  mountains  and  dales  to 
Kerlish  Lodge,  where  we  met  with  a  hearty  welcome,  both 
from  Alexander  Boyle,  and  his  amiable  wife,  who  are  pat- 
terns  to  all  the  country.  Mr.  Boyle  had  spoken  to  Dr. 
Wilson,  the  rector  of  a  neighbouring  town,  concerning  my 
preaching  in  the  church,  who  wrote  to  the  bishop,  and  re- 
ceived a  letter  in  answer,  giving  a  full  and  free  consent. 
The  doctor  desired  me  to  breakfast  with  him.  Meantime 
one  of  his  parishioners,  a  warm  seceder,  took  away  the  key 
of  the  church,  so  I  preached  in  a  neighbouring  orchard  : 
I  believe  not  in  vain.  The  jector  and  his  wife  were  in  the 
front  of  the  congregation.  Afterward  we  took  a  view  of 
Lord  Abercorn's  place.  The  house  has  a  lovely  situation  : 
and  the  front  of  it  is  as  elegant  as  any  I  have  seen  either 
in  Great  Britain  or  Ireland.  The  grounds  are  delightful 
indeed,  perhaps  equal  to  any  in  the  kingdom. 

"  About  five  in  the  evening  I  preached  at  Killrail.  No 
house  would  contain  the  congregation  ;  so  I  preached  in 
the  open  air.  The  wind  was  piercingly  cold,  but  the  peo- 
pie  regarded  it  not.  Afterward  I  administered  the  Lord's 
Supper  to  about  a  hundred  of  them,  and  then  slept  in  peace. 

"  Wednesday,  June  6. — I  took  leave  of  my  dear  friends 
at  Londonderry,  and  drove  to  Newton  Limavady.  I  had 
no  design  to  preach  there.  But  while  we  were  at  break- 
fast, the  people  were  gathei-ed  so  fast  that  I  could  not  deny 


HBV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


259 


them.  The  house  was  soon  filled  from  end  to  end.  I 
explained  to  them  the  fellowship  believers  have  with  God. 
Thence  I  went  on  to  Colerain,  and  preached  at  six,  (as  I 
did  two  years  ago,)  in  the  barrack  yard.  The  wind  was 
high  and  sharp  enough ;  but  the  people  here  are  good  old 
soldiers.  Many  attended  at  five  in  the  morning,  and  a 
large  congregation  about  six  in  the  evening ;  most  of 
whom,  I  believe,  tasted  the  good  word  ;  for  God  was  with 
us  of  a  truth. 

"  Tuesday  12th. — We  came  through  a  most  beautiful 
country  to  Downpatrick,  a  much  larger  town  than  I  ima- 
gined ;  I  think  not  much  inferior  to  Sligo.  The  evening 
was  uncommonly  mild  and  bright,  there  not  being  a 
cloud  in  the  sky.  The  tall  firs  shaded  us  on  every  side, 
and  the  fruitful  fields  were  spread  all  around.  The  peo- 
ple were,  I  think,  half  as  many  more  as  were  at  Lisburn 
even  on  Sunday  evening.  On  them  I  enforced  those  im- 
portant words, '  Acquaint  thyself  now  with  him,  and  be  at 
peace.' 

"  Wednesday  13th. — Being  informed  we  had  only  six 
and  twenty  miles  to  go,  we  did  not  set  out  till  between  six 
and  seven.  The  country  was  uncommonly  pleasant,  run- 
ning between  two  high  ridges  of  mountains  ;  but  it  was  up 
hill  and  down  all  the  way,  so  that  we  did  not  reach  Rath- 
friland  till  nearly  noon.  Mr.  Barber,  the  Presbyterian 
minister,  (a  princely  personage,  I  believe  six  feet  and  a 
half  high,)  offering  me  his  new,  spacious  preaching  house, 
the  congregation  quickly  gathered  together.  I  began 
without  delay  to  open  and  enforce,  '  Now  God  command- 
eth  all  men,  every  where,  to  repent.'  I  took  chaise  the 
instant  I  had  done ;  but  the  road  being  still  up  hill  and 
down,  we  were  two  hours  going  what  they  called  six  miles. 
I  then  quitted  the  chaise,  and  rode  forward.  But  even 
then,  four  miles,  so  called,  took  an  hour  and  a  half  riding  ; 
tso  that  I  did  not  reach  Dr.  Lesley's,  at  Tandaragee,  till 
half  an  hour  past  four.  About  six  I  stood  upon  the  steps 
at  Mr.  Godly's  door,  and  preached  on,  '  This  is  not  your 
rest,'  to  a  larger  congregation,  by  a  third,  than  even  that 
at  Downpatrick.  I  scarcely  remember  to  have  seen  a 
larger,  unless  in  London,  Yorkshire,  or  Cornwall. 

"  Tuesday  26th. — Dublin.  We  were  agreeably  sur- 
prised with  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Coke,  who  came  from  Phila- 


260 


LIFE  OF  THB 


delphia,  in  nine  and  twenty  days,  and  gave  us  a  pleasing 
account  of  the  work  of  God  in  America.  Thursday  28th. 
I  had  a  conversation  with  Mr.  Howard,  I  think  one  of  the 
greatest  men  in  Europe.  Nothing  but  the  mighty  power 
of  God  can  enable  him  to  go  through  his  difficult  and 
dangerous  employments.  But  what  can  hurt  us,  if  God 
be  on  our  side  ? 

"  Sunday,  July  22. — Manchester.  Our  service  began 
at  ten.  Notwithstanding  the  severe  cold,  which  has  con- 
tinued many  days,  the  house  was  well  filled  ;  but  my 
work  was  easy,  as  Dr.  Coke  assisted  me.  As  many  as 
could  crowded  in,  in  the  evening  ;  but  many  were  obliged 
to  go  away.  Afterward  I  spent  a  comfortable  hour  with 
the  society. 

"  Friday  27th. — We  went  on  to  Bolton.  Here  are  eight 
hundred  poor  children  taught  in  our  Sunday  schools  by 
about  eighty  masters,  who  receive  no  pay  but  what  they 
are  to  receive  from  their  great  Master.  About  a  hundred 
of  them,  part  boys,  and  part  girls,  are  taught  to  sing.  And 
they  sung  so  true,  that,  all  singing  together,  they  seemed 
to  be  but  one  voice.  The  house  was  thoroughly  filled, 
ivhile  I  explained  and  applied  the  first  and  great  com- 
mandment. What  is  all  morality  or  religion  without  this  ? 
A  mere  castle  in  the  air.  In  the  evening,  many  of  the 
children  still  hovering  round  the  house,  I  desired  forty  or 
fifty  to  come  in  and  sing, 

'  Vital  spark  of  heavenly  flame.' 
Although  some  of  them  were  silent,  not  being  able  to  sing 
for  tears,  yet  the  harmony  was  such  as  I  believe  could  not 
ibe  equalled  in  the  king's  chapel. 

"  Monday,  August  6th. — Having  taken  the  whole  coach 
for  Birmingham,  we  set  out,  expecting  to  be  there,  as  usual, 
about  five  in  the  evening.  But  having  six  persons  within, 
and  eight  without,  the  coach  could  not  benr  the  burden, 
but  broke  down  before  three  in  the  morning.  Having 
patched  it  togetlier  as  well  as  we  could,  we  went  on  to 
Congleton,  and  got  another.  In  an  hour  or  two  this  broke 
also ;  and  one  of  the  horses  was  so  thoroughly  tired,  that 
he  cowld  hardly  set  <3ne  foot  before  tlie  other.  After  all 
these  hinderanoes,  we  got  to  Birmingham  just  at  seven. 
Finding  a  large  congregation  waiting,  I  stepped  out  of  the 
coach  into  the  house,  and  began  preaching  without  delay 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


261 


And  such  was  the  goodness  of  God,  that  I  found  no  more 
weariness  Avhen  I  had  done  than  if  I  had  rested  all  the  day. 

"  Here  I  took  a  tender  leave  of  Mrs.  Heath  and  her 
lovely  daughters,  about  to  embark  with  Mr.  Heath  for 
America,  whom  I  hardly  expect  to  see  any  more  till  we 
meet  in  Abraham's  bosom. 

"  Friday  10th. — Southampton.  At  six  I  preached  on 
Hebrews  iv,  14.  In  the  afternoon  I  went  with  a  gentle- 
man (Mr.  Taylor)  to  hear  the  famous  musician  that  plays 
upon  the  glasses.  By  my  appearing  there,  (as  I  had  fore- 
seen) a  heap  of  gentry  attended  in  the  evening.  And  1 
beheve  several  of  them,  as  well  as  Mr.  T.  himself,  did  not 
come  in  vain. 

"Tuesday  14th. — Sailing  on  with  a  fair  wind,  we  fully 
expected  to  reach  Guernsey  in  the  afternoon  ;  but  the 
wind  turning  contrar)',  and  blowing  hard,  we  found  that 
would  be  impossible.  We  then  judged  it  best  to  put  in  at 
the  isle  of  Alderney ;  but  we  were  very  near  being  ship- 
wrecked in  the  bay.  About  eight  I  went  down  to  a  con- 
venient spot  on  the  beach,  and  began  giving  out  a  hymn  ; 
a  woman  and  two  little  children  joined  us  immediately. 
Before  the  hymn  was  ended,  we  had  a  tolerable  congre- 
gation, all  of  whom  behaved  well :  part  indeed  continued 
at  forty  or  fifty  yards'  distance,  but  they  were  all  quiet 
and  attentive. 

"  It  happened,  to  speak  in  the  vulgar  phrase,  that  three 
or  four  who  sailed  with  us  from  England,  a  gentleman, 
with  his  wife  and  sister,  were  near  relations  of  the  gover- 
nor.  He  came  to  us  this  morning  ;  and  when  I  went  into 
the  room  behaved  with  the  utmost  courtesy.  This  little 
circumstance  may  remove  prejudice,  and  make  a  more 
open  way  for  the  Gospel. 

"  Soon  after  we  set  sail ;  and  after  a  very  pleasant  pas- 
sage, through  little  islands  on  either  hand,  we  came  to  the 
venerable  castle,  standing  on  a  rock,  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  Guernsey.  The  isle  itself  makes  a  beautiful 
appearance,  spreading  as  a  crescent  to  the  right  and  left ; 
about  seven  miles  long  and  five  broad,  part  high  land  and 
part  low.  The  town  itself  is  boldly  situated,  rising  higher 
and  higher  from  the  water.  The  first  thing  I  observed  in 
it  was  very  narrow  streets,  and  exceedingly  high  houses. 
But  we  quickly  went  on  to  Mr.  de  Jersey's,  hardly  a  mile 


262 


LIFE  OF  THE 


from  the  town.  Here  I  found  a  most  cordial  welcome, 
both  from  the  master  of  the  house  and  all  his  family.  I 
preached  at  seven,  in  a  large  room,  to  as  deeply  serious  a 
congregation  as  I  ever  saw,  on  '  Jesus  Christ,  of  God 
made  unto  us  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctitication,  and 
redemption.' 

"  Monday  20. — We  took  ship  between  three  and  four  in 
the  moining,  in  a  very  small  inconvenient  sloop,  and  not 
a  swift  sailer,  so  that  we  were  seven  hours  in  sailing  what 
is  called  seven  leagues.  About  eleven  we  landed  at  St. 
Helier's,  and  went  straight  to  Mr.  Brackenbury's  house. 
It  stands  very  pleasantly  near  the  end  of  the  town,  and 
has  a  large  convenient  garden,  with  a  lovely  range  of 
fruitful  hills,  which  rise  at  a  small  distance  from  it.  I 
preached  in  the  evening  to  an  exceedingly  serious  congre- 
gation, on  Matt,  iii,  ult.  And  almost  as  many  were  pre- 
sent at  five  in  the  morning,  whom  I  exhorted  to  go  on  to 
perfection,  which  many  of  them,  Mr.  Clarke  informs  me, 
are  earnestly  endeavouring  to  do. 

"  Thursday  23. — I  rode  to  St.  Mary's,  five  or  six  miles 
from  St.  Helier's,  through  shady,  pleasant  lanes.  None 
at  the  house  could  speak  English,  but  I  had  interpreters 
enow.  In  the  evening  our  large  room  was  thoroughly 
filled.  I  preached  on,  '  By  grace  ye  are  saved,  through 
faith  :'  Mr.  Brackenbury  interpreted  sentence  by  sen- 
tence, and  God  owned  his  word,  though  delivered  in  so 
awkward  a  manner :  but  especially  in  prayer ;  I  prayed 
in  English,  and  Mr.  B.  in  French. 

"  Saturday  25. — Having  now  leisure,  I  finished  a  sermon 
on  'Discerning  the  Signs  of  the  Times.'  This  morning  I 
had  a  particular  conversation,  (as  I  had  once  or  twice 
before)  with  Jeannie  Bisson  of  this  town,  such  a  young 
woman  as  I  have  hardly  seen  elsewhere.  She  seems  to 
be  wholly  devoted  to  God,  and  to  have  constant  commu- 
nion  with  him.  She  has  a  clear  and  strong  understanding, 
and  I  cannot  perceive  the  least  tincture  of  entliusiasm.  I 
am  afraid  she  will  not  live  long.  I  am  amazed  at  the 
grace  of  God  which  is  in  her.  I  think  she  is  far  beyond 
Madam  Guion  in  deep  communion  with  God  :  and  I  doubt 
whether  I  have  found  her  fellow  in  England.  Precious  as 
my  time  is,  it  would  have  been  worth  my  while  to  come  to 
Jersey,  had  it  been  only  to  see  this  prodigy  of  grace. 


KEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


263 


"  Monday  27. — I  "thought  when  I  left  Southampton  to 
have  been  there  again  at  this  day ;  but  God's  thoughts 
were  not  as  my  thoughts.  Here  we  are,  shut  up  in  Jer- 
sey,  for  how  long  we  cannot  tell.  But  it  is  all  well ;  for 
thou,  Lord,  hast  done  it.  It  is  my  part  to  improve  the  time 
as  it  is  not  likely  I  should  ever  have  another  opportunity 
of  visiting  these  islands. 

<'  Tuesday  28. — Being  still  detained  by  contrary  winds, 
I  preached  at  six  in  the  evening,  to  a  larger  congregation 
than  ever,  in  the  assembly  room.  It  conveniently  contains 
five  or  six  hundred  people. 

"Wednesday  29. — I  designed  to  have  followed  the  blow 
in  the  morning  ;  but  I  had  quite  lost  my  voice  :  however, 
it  was  restored  in  the  evening,  and  I  beUeve  all  in  the 
assembly  room  (more  than  the  last  evening)  heard  dis- 
tinctly, while  I  explained  and  applied, '  I  saw  the  dead,  small 
and  great,  stand  before  God.'  In  the  morning,  Thursday 
30,  I  took  a  solemn  leave  of  the  society.  We  set  out 
about  nine,  and  reached  St.  Peter's  in  the  afternoon. — 
Good  is  the  will  of  the  Lord.  I  trust  he  has  something 
more  for  us  to  do  here  also.  After  preaching  to  a  larger 
congregation  than  was  expected,  on  so  short  a  notice,  on, 
'God  was  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself,'  I 
returned  to  Mont  Plaisir,  to  stay  just  as  long  as  it  should 
please  God.  I  preached  there  in  the  morning,  Friday  31, 
to  a  congregation  serious  as  death. 

"Saturday,  September  1. — This  day  twelvemonth  I  was 
detained  in  Holland  by  contrary  winds.  All  is  well,  so 
we  are  doing  and  suffering  the  will  of  our  Lord.  In  the 
evening,  the  storm  driving  us  into  the  house  again,  I 
strongly  exhorted  a  very  genteel  audience,  (such  as  I  have 
rarely  seen  in  England,)  to  '  ask  for  the  old  paths,  and 
walk  therein.' 

"Sunday  2. — Being  still  pent  up  by  the  north-east  wind, 
Dr.  Coke  preached  at  six  in  the  morning  to  a  deeply  af- 
fected congregation.  I  preached  at  eight,  on  Rom.  viii, 
33.  At  one,  Mr.  Vivian,  a  local  preacher,  preached  in 
French,  the  language  of  the  island.  At  five,  as  the  house 
would  not  contain  half  the  congregation,  I  preached  in  a 
tolerably  sheltered  place,  on  the  'joy  there  is  in  heaven 
over  one  sinner  that  repenteth ;'  and  both  high  and  low 
seemed  to  hear  it  gladly.    I  then  designed  to  meet  the 


264 


MFE  OF  THE 


society,  but  could  not.  The  people  pressed  so  eagerly  on 
every  side,  that  the  house  was  filled  presently ;  so  that  I 
could  only  give  a  general  exhortation,  'to  walk  worthy  of 
their  profession.' 

"  I  was  in  hopes  of  sailing  in  the  morning,  Monday  3, 
but  the  storm  so  increased,  that  it  was  judged  impracticable. 
The  congregation,  however,  in  the  evening  increased  every 
day ;  and  they  appeared  to  be  more  and  more  affected ; 
so  that  I  believe  we  were  not  detained  for  nothing  :  but 
for  the  spiritual  and  eternal  good  of  many. 

"Tuesday  4. — The  storm  continued,  so  that  we  could 
not  stir.  I  took  a  walk  to-day,  through  what  is  called  the 
New  Ground,  where  the  gentry  are  accustomed  to  walk  in 
the  evening  :  both  the  upper  ground,  which  is  as  level  as  a 
bowling  green,  and  the  lower,  which  is  planted  with  rows 
of  trees,  is  wonderfully  beautiful.  In  the  evening  I  fully 
delivered  my  own  soul  by  showing  what  it  is  to  '  build  upon 
a  rock.'  But  still  we  could  not  sail,  the  wind  being  quite 
contrary  as  well  as  exceedingly  high.  It  was  the  same  on 
Wednesday.  In  the  afternoon  we  drank  tea  at  a  friend's 
who  was  mentioning  a  captain  just  come  from  France,  that 
proposed  to  sail  in  the  morning  for  Penzance,  for  which  the 
wind  would  serve,  though  not  for  Southampton.  In  this 
we  plainly  saw  the  hand  of  God  :  so  we  agreed  with  him 
immediately. 

"Penzance,  Saturday  8. — Dr.  Coke  preached  at  six  to 
as  many  as  the  preaching  house  would  contain.  At  ten  I 
was  obliged  to  take  the  field,  by  the  multitude  of  people 
that  flocked  together.  I  found  a  very  uncommon  liberty 
of  speech  among  them,  and  cannot  doubt  but  the  work  of 
God  will  flourish  in  this  place.  In  the  evening  I  preached 
at  St.  Ives,  (but  it  being  the  market  day,  so  that  I  could 
not  stand,  as  usual,  in  the  market  place,)  in  a  very  con- 
venient field  at  the  end  of  the  town,  to  a  very  numerous 
congregation,  I  need  scarcely  add,  and  very  serious ;  lor 
such  are  all  the  congregations  in  the  county  of  Cornwall. 

"  Sunday  9. — About  nine  I  preached  at  the  copper  works, 
three  or  four  miles  from  St.  Ives,  to  a  large  congregation, 
gathered  from  all  parts,  I  believe  'with  the  demonstration 
of  the  Spirit.'  I  then  met  the  society  in  the  preaching 
house,  which  is  unhke  any  other  in  England,  both  as  to 
its  form  and  materials.  It  is  exactly  round,  and  composed 


KKV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


265 


wholly  of  brazen  slags,  which  I  suppose  will  last  as  long 
as  the  earth.  Between  one  and  two  I  began  in  tiie  mar- 
ket place  at  Redruth  to  the  largest  congregation  I  ever 
saw  there.  They  not  only  filled  all  the  windows,  but  sat 
on  the  tops  of  the  houses.  About  five  I  began  in  the 
amphitheatre  at  Gwennap  :  I  suppose  we  had  a  thousand 
more  than  ever  were  there  before  :  but  it  was  all  one  ;  my 
voice  was  strengthened  accordingly,  so  that  eveiy  one 
could  hear  distinctly. 

"  London,  Sunday,  Nov.  4. — The  congregation  at  the 
New  Chapel  was  far  larger  than  usual ;  and  the  number  of 
communicants  was  so  great,  that  I  was  obliged  to  conse- 
crate thrice.  Monday  5. — In  my  way  to  Dorking,  I  read 
Mr.  Duff's  Essay  on  Genius.  It  is  beyond  all  comparison 
deeper  and  more  judicious  than  Dr.  G.'s  essay  on  that 
subject.  If  the  doctor  had  seen  it,  which  one  can  hardly 
doubt,  it  is  a  wonder  he  would  publish  his  essay  :  yet  I 
cannot  approve  of  his  method.  Why  does  he  not  first 
define  his  term,  that  we  may  know  what  he  is  talking 
about  ?  I  doubt,  because  his  own  idea  of  it  was  not  clear. 
For  genius  is  not  imagination,  any  more  than  it  is  inven- 
tion. If  we  mean  by  it  a  quality  of  the  soul,  it  is,  in  its 
widest  acceptation,  an  extraordinaiy  capacity  either  for 
some  particular  art  or  science,  or  for  all,  for  whatever  may 
be  undertaken.  So  Euclid  had  a  genius  for  mathematics, 
TuUy  for  oratory  :  Aristotle  and  Lord  Bacon  had  a  uni- 
versal genius  applicable  to  every  thing. 

"  Friday  9. — A  friend  offering  to  bear  my  expenses,  I  set 
out  in  the  evening,  and  on  Saturday  10,  dined  at  Notting- 
ham. The  preaching  house,  one  of  the  most  elegant  in 
England,  was  pretty  well  filled  in  the  evening. 

"  Sunday  1 1 . — At  ten,  we  had  a  lovely  congregation  ; 
and  a  very  numerous  one  in  the  afternoon  :  but  I  believe 
the  house  would  hardly  contain  one  half  of  those  that  came 
to  it.  I  preached  a  charity  sermon  for  the  infirmary, 
which  v/as  the  design  of  my  coming.  This  is  not  a  county 
infirmary,  but  is  open  to  all  England,  yea  to  all  the  world. 
And  evei-y  thing  about  it  is  so  neat,  so  convenient,  and  so 
well  ordered,  that  I  have  seen  none  like  it  in  the  three 
kingdoms.  Monday  12. — In  the  afternoon  we  took  coach 
again,  and  on  Tuesday  returned  to  London. 

"  Sunday  25. — I  preached  two  charity  sermons  at  West- 
23 


266  LIFE  OF  THE 

street  in  behalf  of  our  poor  children ;  in  which  I  endea- 
voured to  warn  them,  and  all  that  have  the  care  of  them, 
against  that  English  sin,  ungodUness,  that  reproach  of  our 
nation,  wherein  we  excel  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth. 

"  Tuesday,  Dec.  4. — I  retired  to  Rainham  to  prepare 
another  edition  of  the  New  Testament  for  the  press. 

"  liOndon,  Sunday  9. — I  went  down  at  half  hour  past 
five,  but  found  no  preacher  in  the  chapel,  though  we  had 
three  or  four  in  the  house  :  so  I  preached  myself.  After- 
ward inquiring  why  none  of  my  family  attended  the  morn- 
ing preaching,  they  said  it  was  because  they  sat  up  too 
late.  I  resolved  to  put  a  stop  to  this :  and,  therefore, 
ordered,  that,  1.  Every  one  under  my  roof  should  go  to 
bed  at  nine  :  that,  2.  Eveiy  one  might  attend  the  morning 
preaching  :  and  so  they  have  done  ever  since. 

"Monday  10. — I  was  desired  to  see  the  celebrated  wax- 
work at  the  museum  in  Spring  Gardens.  It  exhibits  most 
of  the  crowned  heads  in  Europe,  and  shows  their  charac- 
ters in  their  countenances.  Sense  and  majesty  appear  in 
the  king  of  Spain  :  dulness  and  sottishness  in  the  king  of 
France  :  infernal  subtilty  in  the  late  king  of  Prussia  :  (as 
well  as  in  the  skeleton  Voltaire  :)  calmness  and  humanity 
in  the  emperor,  and  king  of  Poi'tugal :  exquisite  stupidity 
in  the  prince  of  Orange  :  and  amazing  coarseness,  with 
every  thing  that  is  unamiable,  in  the  Czarina. 

Sunday  16. — After  preaching  at  Spitalfields,  I  hastened 
to  St.  John's,  Clerkenwell,  and  preached  a  charity  sermon 
for  the  Finsbury  Dispensary,  as  I  would  gladly  counte- 
nance every  institution  of  the  kind. 

"  Saturday  22. — I  yielded  to  the  importunity  of  a  painter, 
and  sat,  an  hour  and  a  half  in  all,  for  my  picture.  I  think 
it  is  the  best  that  ever  was  taken.  But  what  is  the  picture 
of  a  man  above  fourscore  !" 

These  extracts  are  from  the  journal  of  1787,  when  Mr. 
Wesley  was  in  his  eighty-fifth  year.  The  labours  and 
journeys  of  almost  every  day  are  similarly  noticed,  exhibit- 
ing at  once  a  singular  instance  of  natural  strength,  sus- 
tained, doubtless,  by  the  special  blessing  of  God,  and  of 
an  entire  consecration  of  time  to  the  service  of  mankind, 
of  .which  no  similar  example  is  probably  on  record,  and 
which  is  rendered  still  more  wonderful  by  the  consi- 
deration  that  it  had  been  continued  for  more  than  half  a 


KKV.  JOHN  WESLEV. 


267 


century,  on  the  same  scale  of  exertion,  and  almost  without 
intermission.  The  vigour  of  his  mind  at  this  age  is  also 
as  remarkable ;  the  same  power  of  acute  observation  as 
formerly  is  manifested;  the  same  taste  for  reading  and 
criticism  ;  the  same  facility  in  literary  composition.  Nor 
is  the  buoyant  cheerfulness  of  his  spirit  a  less  striking 
feature.  Nothing  of  the  old  man  of  unrenewed  nature 
appears  ;  no  forebodings  of  evil ;  no  querulous  compari- 
sons of  the  present  with  the  past ; — there  is  the  same 
delight  in  the  beautiful  scenes  of  nature  ;  the  same  enjoy- 
ment of  conversation,  provided  it  had  the  two  qualities  of 
usefulness  and  brevity  ;  the  same  joy  in  hopeful  appear- 
ances of  good ;  and  the  same  tact  at  turning  the  edge  of 
little  discomforts  and  disappointments  by  the  power  of  an 
undisturbed  equanimity.  Above  all  we  see  the  man  of 
one  business,  living  only  to  serve  God  and  his  generation, 
"  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season,"  seriously  intent, 
not  upon  doing  so  much  duty,  but  upon  saving  souls  ;  and 
preaching,  conversing,  and  writing  for  this  end  alone.  And 
yet  this  is  the  man  whom  we  still  sometimes  see  made  the 
object  of  the  sneers  of  infidel  or  semi-infidel  philosophers  ; 
and  whom  book  makers,  m  hen  they  have  turned  the  inter, 
csting  points  of  his  character  and  history  into  a  marketable 
commodity,  endeavour  to  dress  up  in  the  garb  of  a  fanatic, 
or  a  dreamer,  by  way  of  rendering  their  works  more  ac- 
ceptable to  frivolous  readers, — the  man  to  whose  labours, 
few  even  of  the  evangelical  clergy  of  the  National  Church 
have  the  heart  or  the  courage  to  do  justice ;  forgetting 
how  much  that  improved  state  of  piety  which  exists  in  the 
Establishment  is  owing  to  the  indirect  influence  of  his  long 
life  of  labour,  and  his  successful  ministry  ;  and  that  even 
very  many  of  themselves  have  sprung  from  families  where 
Methodism  first  lighted  the  lamp  of  religious  knowledge, 
and  produced  a  religious  influence.  It  will  indeed  provoke 
a  smile,  to  observe  what  effort  often  discovers  itself  in  wri- 
ters  of  this  party,  when  referring  to  the  religious  state  of  the 
nation  in  the  last  and  present  century,  to  keep  this  apostolic 
man  wholly  out  of  sight,  as  though  he  had  never  existed ; 
feeling,  we  suppose,  that  because  he  did  not  conform  to  the 
order  of  their  Church  in  all  particulars,  it  would  be  a  sin 
against  their  own  orthodoxy  even  to  name  him  as  one  of 
those  great  instruments  in  the  hands  of  God.  who,  in  mercy 


268 


LIFE  OF  THE 


to  these  lands,  were  raised  up  to  effect  that  vast  moral  and 
religious  change,  the  benefits  of  which  they  themselves  so 
richly  enjoy.  This  may  be  attributed  not  only  to  that  ex- 
clusive spirit  which  marks  so  many  of  the  clergy  of  this 
class,  even  beyond  others,  notwithstanding  their  piety  and 
general  excellence,  but  to  the  Calvinism  which  many  of 
them  have  imbibed.  The  evangelical  Arminianism  of 
Wesley  has  been  forgiven  by  the  orthodox  Dissenters  ;  but, 
by  a  curious  anomaly,  not  by  the  Calvinistic  party  of  the 
Church.    It  is  probably  better  understood  by  the  former  * 

*  The  following  passage  from  a  sermon  lately  preached  in  his 
diocess,  by  Bishop  Coplestone,  may  be  quoted  both  as  a  better  speci. 
men  of  the  spirit  of  a  Churchman  than  that  above  referred  to,  and 
as,  perhaps,  the  only  instance  in  which  any  thing  approaching  to  a 
due  estimate  of  Mr.  Wesley's  character,  and  the  value  of  his  labours, 
has  been  suffered  publicly  to  escape  the  lips  of  a  prelate.  It  was  dic- 
tated evidently  by  a  candid  and  liberal  feeling,  though  not  without 
being  influenced  by  some  of  those  mistaken  views  which  will  be 
corrected  at  the  close  of  this  account  of  Mr.  Wesley's  life  : — 

"  And  here,  not  only  candour  and  equity,  but  a  just  sense  of  the 
constitution  of  Christ's  Ciiurch,  compels  me  to  draw  a  marked  line 
of  distinction  between  those  whoso  religious  assemblies  are  supple, 
mentary,  as  it  were,  to  our  own  establishment,  offering  spiritual 
comfort  and  instruction  to  hundreds  unable  to  find  it  elsewhere, 
and  those  organized  communities  which  exclude  from  their  society 
any  that  communicate  in  the  blessed  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Sup 
per  with  the  National  Church. 

"  Of  the  former,  I  would  not  only  think  and  speak  mildly,  but  in 
many  cases  I  would  commend  the  piety  and  zeal  which  animates 
them,  full  of  danger  as  it  is  to  depart  from  the  apostolic  ordinance, 
even  in  matters  of  outward  discipline  and  order.  The  author  and 
founder  of  those  societies  (for  he  was  careful  himself  to  keep  them 
from  being  formed  into  a  sect)  was  a  regularly  ordained  minister,  a 
man  orthodo.x  in  his  belief,  simple  and  disinterested  in  his  own 
views,  and  adorned  with  the  most  amiable  and  distinguishing  vir- 
tues  of  a  true  Christian.  He  found  thousands  of  his  countrymen, 
though  nominally  Christians,  yet  as  ignorant  of  true  Christianity 
as  infidels  and  heathens ;  and  in  too  many  instances  (it  is  useless 
to  conceal  or  disguise  the  fact)  ignorant,  either  through  the  inatten- 
tion  of  the  government  in  not  providing  for  increased  numbers,  or 
through  the  carelessness  and  neglect  of  those  whom  the  National 
Church  had  appointed  to  be  their  pastors. 

"  But  the  beginning  of  schism,  like  that  of  strife,  is  as  when  one 
letteth  out  water.  The  gentle  stream  of  piety  and  benevolence  in 
which  this  practice  originated,  irrigating  only  and  refreshing  some 
parched  or  barren  lands,  soon  became  a  swelling  and  rapid  torrent, 
widening  as  it  flowed  on,  and  opening  for  itself  a  breach  which  it 
may  yet  require  the  care  and  prudence  of  ages  to  close.  And  even 
the  pidua  author  himself  was  not  proof  against  that  snare  of  Satan 


REV.  J01I:N  WBaL£Y. 


ma 


At  the  time  to  which  tlie  above  extracts  from  his  jour- 
nal refer,  Mr.  Wesley  had,  however,  no  reason  to  com- 
plain  of  any  want  of  respect,  or  of  a  due  appreciation  of 
his  labours  by  the  serious  of  all  parties,  although  he  re- 

which,  through  the  vanity  and  weakness  of  human  nature,  led  him 
in  his  latter  years  to  assume  the  authority  of  an  apostle,  andtoesta. 
blish  a  fraternity  within  the  Church,  to  be  called  after  his  own  name, 
and  to  remain  a  lasting  monument  of  his  activity  and  zeal.  But  over 
errors  such  as  these  let  us  cast  a  veil ;  and  rather  rejoice  in  reflect, 
ing  on  the  many  whom  he  reclaimed  from  sin  and  wickedness,  and 
taught  to  seek  for  salvation  through  the  merits  of  their  Saviour. 

"  Of  such,  I  repeat,  wherever  a  like  deficiency  of  religious  moans 
is  found,  we  ought  to  speak,  not  only  with  tenderness,  but  with 
brotherly  love  and  esteem." 

It  seems  pretty  obvious  that  Bishop  Coplestone  has  taken  his  im. 
pressions  from  Southey's  life  of  the  founder  of  Methodism,  although 
somewhat  modified  by  better  views  of  spiritual  religion.  The  moral 
destitution  of  the  country,  and  the  negligence  of  the  Church  are 
acknowledged,  as  well  as  the  important  effects  produced  by  Mr. 
Wesley's  labours,  at  least  in  their  early  stages  ;  and  yet  these  results 
are  spoken  of  as  somewhat  of  a  religious  calamity  !  The  beginning 
of  "  schism,"  as  to  Church  order,  is  compared  to  the  letting  out  of 
water  ;  and  a  fearful  "  breach"  out  of  the  Established  Church  com- 
pletes the  picture.  How  little  docs  this  sensible  and  amiable  bishop 
know  of  tlie  facts  of  the  case  ! — as  for  instance,  1.  That  the  Method, 
ist  Societies  were  in  great  part  gathered,  not  out  of  Church  goers, 
but  Church  neglecters.  2.  That  the  effect  was  generally,  for  many 
years,  to  increase  the  attendance  at  Church,  and  to  lay  the  founda. 
tion  in  a  great  number  of  places,  especially  in  the  more  populous 
towns,  of  large  Church  congregations  which  have  continued  to  this 
day.  3.  That  the  still  more  extensive  and  ultimate  result  was,  after 
persecution  or  silent  contempt  had  been  tried  in  vain,  and  when  it 
was  found  that  obstinate  perseverance  in  neglect  would  not  be  any 
longer  tolerated,  that  the  Establishment  was  roused  into  an  activity 
by  which  it  has  doubtless  been  greatly  benefited  as  far  as  respects 
its  moral  influence,  the  only  influence  of  a  Church  which  can  be 
permanent  or  valuable.  4.  That  very  few  of  the  Methodists  of  the 
present  day  would  in  all  probability  have  been,  in  any  sense  which 
Bishop  Coplestone  would  value.  Church  people ;  and  so  this  sup- 
posed loss  of  ecclesiastical  members  affords  but  an  imaginary  ground 
for  the  regrets  with  which  he  seems  to  surround  it.  The  intimation 
of  Mr.  Wesley's  ambition  is  imitated  from  Southey.  But  of  this 
enough  has  been  said  in  refutation.  Bishop  Coplestone  indeed  re. 
gards  it  mildly  as  an  infirmity,  which  he  would  charitably  cover  with 
Mr.  Wesley's  numerous  and  eminent  virtues.  That  is  kind ;  but 
Mr.  Wesley  himself  would  have  taken  a  severer  view  of  this  "  weak 
ness,"  had  he  been  conscious  of  the  passion  of  ambition,  in  the  sense 
in  which  it  is  here  used.  One  might  ask  this  respectable  prelate  to 
review  the  case,  and  say  where  Mr.  Wesley,  allowing  him  his  consci- 
entious conviction  that  he  was  bound  to  incessant  activity  in  doing 
good  to  the  souls  of  men,  could  have  stopped  ?  How  he  could  havt» 
23* 


270 


MPE  OF  THE 


garded  it  not  with  improper  exultation,  but  passed  through 
"  honour,"  as  he  had  passed  through  "  dishonour"  in  the  for- 
mer  years  of  his  hfe,  as  '"Beeing  Him  who  is  invisible." 
This  period  of  his  life  must  have  been  to  him,  on  a  much 
higher  account,  one  of  rich  reflection.  In  his  journal  of 
1785,  March  24,  he  observes, — "  I  was  now  considering 
how  strangely  the  grain  of  mustard  seed,  planted  about 
fifty  years  ago,  had  grown  up.  It  has  spread  through  all 
Great  Britain,  and  Ireland,  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  the  Isle  of 
Man  ;  then  to  America,  through  the  whole  continent,  into 
Canada,  the  Leeward  Islands,  and  Newfoundland.  And  the 
societies,  in  all  these  parts,  walk  by  one  rule,  knowing  that 
religion  is  in  holy  tempers,  and  striving  to  worship  God, 
not  in  form  only,  but  hkewise  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

He  must,  indeed,  have  been  insensible  to  the  emotions 
of  a  generous  nature,  had  he  not  felt  an  honest  satisfaction, 
that  he  had  lived  down  calumnies ;  and  that  where  mobs 
formerly  awaited  him,  he  met  Avith  the  kind  and  cheering 
attentions  of  the  most  respectable  persons  of  all  religious 
persuasions,  in  every  part  of  the  country.  But,  more  than 
this,  he  could  compare  the  dearth  and  barrenness  of  one 
age  with  the  living  verdure  and  fertiUty  of  another.  Long 
forgotten  truths  had  been  made  famihar  ; — a  neglected 
population  had  been  brought  within  the  range  of  Christian 
instruction,  and  the  constant  preaching  of  the  word  of  life 
by  faithful  men ; — religious  societies  had  been  raised  up 
through  the  land,  generally  distinguished  by  piety  and 
zeal ; — by  the  blessing  of  God  upon  the  labours  of  Mr. 
Whitefield,  and  others  of  his  first  associates,  the  old 
Dissenting  Churches  had  been  quickened  into  life,  and 
new  ones  multiplied ;  the  Established  Church  had  been 

disposed  of  his  societies,  in  the  then  existing  state  of  the  Church  ? 
And  whether,  if  he  had  this  "  ambition"  to  be  the  head  of  a  sect, 
his  whole  life  did  not  lay  restraints  upon  it,  since,  from  nearly  the 
very  first  outset  of  his  itinerancy  and  success,  it  has  been  shown  in 
this  work,  by  extracts  from  the  minutes  of  liis  first  conferences, 
that  he  took  Views  of  ecclesiastical  polity  which  then  set  him  quite 
at  liberty,  had  he  chosen  it,  to  form  his  societies  into  a  regular 
Church,  to  put  himself  at  their  head,  and  to  kindle  up  a  spirit  of 
hostility  to  the  Establishment,  and  of  warm  partizanship  in  his 
own  favour,  throughout  the  land  ?  A  vicious  ambition  would  have 
preferred  this  course.  But  it  is  not  necessary  to  anticipate  the 
remarks  which  will  follow  on  these  subjects. 


BEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


271 


awakened  from  her  lethargy ;   the  number  of  faithful 

ministers  in  her  parishes  greatly  multiplied  ;  the  influence 
of  religion  spread  into  the  colonies,  and  the  United  States 
of  America ;  and  above  all,  a  vast  multitude,  the  fruit  of 
his  own  ministerial  zeal  and  faithfulness,  had,  since  the 
time  in  which  he  commenced  his  labours,  departed  into  a 
better  world.  These  thoughts  must  often  have  passed 
through  his  mind,  and  inspired  his  heart  with  devout 
thanksgivings,  although  no  allusion  is  ever  made  to  them 
in  a  boastful  manner.  For  the  past,  he  knew  to  whom 
the  praise  belonged  ;  and  the  future  lie  left  to  God,  certain 
at  least  of  meeting  in  heaven  a  greater  number  ot  glorified 
spirits  of  whose  salvation  he  had  been,  under  God,  the 
instrument,  than  any  minister  of  modern  ages.  That 
"joyful  hope"  may  explain  an  incident,  which  occurred 
toward  the  close  of  life,  at  the  City  Road  Chapel,  London. 
After  prayers  had  been  read  one  Sunday  forenoon,  he 
ascended  the  pulpit ;  where,  instead  of  announcing  the 
h)-mn  immediately,  he,  to  the  great  surprise  of  the  congre- 
gation,  stood  silent,  with  his  eyes  closed,  for  the  space  of 
at  least  ten  minutes,  wrapt  in  thought ;  and  then  with  a 
feeling  which  at  once  conveyed  to  all  present  the  subject 
which  had  so  absorbed  his  attention,  gave  out  the  hymn 
commencing  with  the  Unes  : — 

"  Come,  let  us  join  car  friends  above, 
Who  have  obtained  the  prize,"  &c. 
It  was  also  his  constant  practice  to  preach  on  All  Saints 
Day,  which  was  witli  him  a  favourite  festival,  on  commu- 
nion  with  the  saints  in  heaven ;  a  practice  probably  arising 
out  of  the  same  delightful  association  of  remembrances 
and  hope. 

On  his  attaining  his  eighty-fifth  year,  he  makes  the 
following  reflections  : — 

"  I  this  day  enter  on  my  eighty-fifth  year.  And  what 
cause  have  I  to  praise  God,  as  for  a  thousand  spiritual 
blessings,  so  for  bodily  blessings  also !  How  little  have 
I  suffered  yet,  by  '  the  rush  of  numerous  years  !'  It  is  true, 
I  am  not  so  agile  as  I  was  in  times  past :  I  do  not  run  or 
walk  so  fast  as  I  did.  My  sight  is  a  little  decayed.  My 
left  eye  is  grown  dim,  and  hardly  serves  me  to  read.  1 
have  daily  some  pain  in  the  ball  of  my  right  eye,  as  also 
in  my  right  temple,  (occasioned  by  a  blow  received  some 


272 


LIFE  OF  THE 


time  since,)  and  in  my  right  shoulder  and  arm,  which  I 
impute  partly  to  a  sprain,  and  partly  to  the  rheumatism. 
I  find  likewise  some  decay  in  my  memory,  with  regard  to 
names  and  things  lately  past ;  but  not  at  all  with  regard 
to  what  I  have  read  or  heard,  twenty,  forty,  or  sixty  years 
ago.  Neither  do  I  find  any  decay  in  my  hearing,  smell, 
taste,  or  appetite,  (though  I  want  but  a  third  part  of  the 
food  I  once  did,)  nor  do  I  feel  any  such  thing  as  weariness, 
either  in  travelling  or  preaching.  And  I  am  not  conscious 
of  any  decay  in  writing  sermons,  which  I  do  as  readily, 
and  1  believe  as  correctly,  as  ever. 

"  To  what  cause  can  I  impute  this,  that  I  am  as  I  am  ? 
First,  doubtless,  to  the  power  of  God,  fitting  me  for  the 
work  to  which  I  am  called,  as  long  as  he  pleases  to  con- 
tinue me  therein  :  and  next,  subordinately  to  this,  to  the 
prayers  of  his  children.  May  we  not  impute  it,  as  inferior 
means:  1.  To  my  constant  exercise  and  change  of  air? 
2.  To  my  never  having  lost  a  night's  sleep,  sick  or  well, 
at  land  or  sea,  since  I  was  born  ?  3.  To  my  having  sleep 
at  command,  so  that  whenever  I  feel  myself  almost  worn 
out,  I  call  it,  and  it  comes,  day  or  night?  4.  To  my 
having  constantly,  for  above  sixty  years,  risen  at  four  in 
the  morning  ?  5.  To  my  constant  preaching  at  five  in  the 
morning,  for  above  fifty  years?  6.  To  my  having  had  so  little 
pain  in  my  life,  and  so  little  sorrow  or  anxious  care?  Even 
now,  though  I  find  pain  daily  in  my  eye,  temple,  or  arm,  yet 
it  is  never  violent,  and  seldom  lasts  many  minutes  at  a  time, 
"  Whether  or  not  this  is  sent  to  give  me  warning  that  I 
am  shortly  to  quit  this  tabernacle,  I  do  not  know  :  but,  be 
it  one  way  or  the  other,  I  have  only  to  say, — 
'  My  remnant  of  days 
I  spend  to  His  praise, 

Who  died  the  whole  world  to  redeem  : 
Be  they  many  or  few, 
My  days  are  his  due, 

And  they  are  all  devoted  to  Him  !' " 
And,  referring  to  some  persons  in  the  nation  who 
thought  themselves  endowed  with  the  gift  of  prophecy,  he 
adds,  "  If  this  is  to  be  the  last  year  of  my  life,  according  to 
some  of  these  prophets,  I  hope  it  will  be  the  best.  I  am 
not  careful  about  it,  but  heartily  receive  the  advice  of  the 
angel  in  Milton, — 

'  How  Well  is  thine,  how  long  permit  to  hoaven.' " 


HEV.  JOHN  WESLEV. 


273 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  brothers,  whose  affection  no  differences  of  opinion 
and  no  conflicts  of  party  could  diminish,  were  now  to  be 
separated  by  death.  Of  the  last  days  of  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley,  Dr.  Whitehead  gives  the  following  account : — 

"  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  had  a  weak  body,  and  a  poor 
state  of  health,  during  the  greatest  part  of  his  life.  I 
believe  he  laid  the  foundation  of  both  at  Oxford  by  too 
close  application  to  study,  and  abstinence  from  food.  He 
rode  much  on  horseback,  which  probably  contributed  to 
lengthen  out  life  to  a  good  old  age.  I  visited  him  several 
times  in  his  last  sickness ;  and  his  body  was  indeed 
reduced  to  the  most  extreme  state  of  weakness.  He  pos- 
sessed that  state  of  mind  which  he  had  been  always 
pleased  to  see  in  others, — unaffected  humility,  and  holy 
resignation  to  the  will  of  God.  He  had  no  transports  of 
joy,  but  solid  hope  and  unshaken  confidence  in  Christ, 
which  kept  his  mind  in  perfect  peace.  A  few  days  before 
his  death  he  composed  the  following  lines.  Having  been 
silent  and  quiet  for  some  time,  he  called  Mrs.  Wesley  to 
him,  and  bid  her  write  as  he  dictated : — 

'  In  age  and  feebleness  extreme. 
Who  shall  a  sinful  worm  redeem  ? 
Jesus,  my  only  hope  thou  art, 
Strength  of  my  failing  flesh  and  heart ; 
O  could  I  catch  a  smile  from  thee. 
And  drop  into  eternity  I' 

"He  died,  March  29th,  1788,  aged  seventy-nine  years 
and  three  months ;  and  was  buried,  April  5th,  in  Mary- 
bone  church  yard  at  his  own  desire.  The  pall  was  sup. 
ported  by  eight  clergymen  of  the  Church  of  England.  On 
his  tomb  stone  are  the  following  lines,  written  by  himself 
on  the  death  of  one  of  his  friends :  they  could  not  be 
more  aptly  applied  to  any  person  than  to  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley : — 

'  With  poverty  of  spirit  bless'd. 
Rest,  happy  saint,  in  Jesus  rest ; 
A  sinner  saved,  through  grace  forgiveu, 
Redeem'd  from  earth  to  reign  in  heaven ! 
Thy  labours  of  unwearied  love, 
By  thee  forgot,  are  crown'd  above ; 
Crown'd  through  the  mercy  of  thy  Lord, 
With  a  free,  full,  immense  reward !' 


274 


lirE  OF  THK 


"  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  was  of  a  warm  and  lively  dispo- 
sition, of  great  frankness  and  integrity,  and  generous  and 
steady  in  his  friendships.  In  conversation  he  was  pleas- 
ing, instructive,  and  cheerful ;  and  his  observations  were 
often  seasoned  with  wit  and  humour.  His  religion  was 
genuine  and  unaffected.  As  a  minister,  he  was  familiarly 
acquainted  witii  every  part  of  divinity  ;  and  his  mind  was 
furnished  with  an  uncommon  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures. 
His  discourses  from  the  pulpit  were  not  dry  and  systematic, 
but  flowed  from  the  present  views  and  feelings  of  his  own 
mind.  He  had  a  remarkable  talent  of  expressing  the  most 
important  truths  with  simplicity  and  energy ;  and  his  dis- 
courses were  sometimes  truly  apostolic,  forcing  conviction 
on  the  hearers  in  spite  of  the  most  determined  opposition. 
As  a  husband,  a  father,  and  a  friend,  his  character  was 
amiable.  Mrs.  Wesley  brought  him  five  children,  of  whom 
two  sons  and  a  daughter  are  still  living.*  The  sons  dis- 
covered  so  fine  a  taste  for  music,  at  an  early  period  of  life, 

*  Miss  Wesley,  a  lady  of  eminent  talents,  and  great  excellence, 
died  September  19,  1828. 

It  would  bo  improper  to  withhold,  as  I  have  them  before  me,  in  the 
unpublished  letters  with  which  I  have  been  favoured,  some  incidental 
remarks  of  the  late  Miss  Wesley,  on  the  character  of  her  father  : — 

"  Mr.  Moore  seems  to  think  that  my  father  preferred  rest  to  going 
about  to  do  good.  He  had  a  rising  family,  and  considered  it  his  duly 
to  confine  his  labours  to  Bristol  and  London,  where  he  laboured  most 
sedulously  in  ministerial  offices ;  and  judged  that  it  was  incumbent 
upon  him  to  watch  over  the  youth  of  his  sons,  especially  in  a  profes- 
sion which  nature  so  strongly  pointed  out,  but  which  was  peculiarly 
dangerous.  I^c  always  said  liis  brother  was  formed  to  lead,  and  he 
to  follow.  No  one  ever  more  rejoiced  in  another's  superiority,  or 
was  more  willing  to  confess  it.  Mr.  Moore's  statement  of  his  absence 
of  mind  in  his  younger  days  was  probably  correct,  as  he  was  born 
impetuous,  and  ardent,  and  sincere.  But  what  a  change  must  have 
taken  place  when  we  wore  born  !  For  his  exactness  in  his  accounts, 
in  his  manuscripts,  in  his  bureau,  &c,  equalled  my  uncle's.  Not  in 
his  dress,  indeed  ;  for  my  mother  said,  if  she  did  not  watch  over 
him,  he  might  have  put  on  an  old  for  a  new  coat,  and  marched  out. 
Such  was  his  power  of  abstraction,  that  ho  could  read  and  compose 
with  his  children  in  the  room,  and  visiters  talking  around  him.  He 
was  near  forty  when  ho  married,  and  had  eight  children,  of  whom  we 
were  the  youngest.  So  kind  and  amiable  a  character  in  domestic 
life  can  scarcely  be  imagined.  Tlio  tenderness  he  jshowed  in  every 
weakness,  and  the  sympathy  in  every  pain,  would  fill  sheets  to  de- 
scribe. But,  I  am  not  writing  his  eulogy ;  only  I  must  add,  with  so 
warm  a  temper,  he  never  was  heard  to  speak  an  angry  word  to  a  ser- 
vant, or  known  to  strike  a  child  in  anger, — and  he  knew  no  guilo  ."' 


RKV.  JOHN  WEiStKY. 


275 


that  they  excited  general  astonishment;  and  they  are  now 
justly  admired  by  the  best  judges  for  their  talents  in  that 
pleasing  art.  The  Methodists  are  greatly  indebted  to 
Charles  Wesley  for  his  unwearied  labours  and  great  use- 
fulness at  the  first  formation  of  the  societies,  when  every 
step  was  attended  with  difhculty  and  danger.  And  being- 
dead  he  yet  speaketh  by  his  numerous  and  excellent  hymns, 
written  for  the  use  of  the  societies,  which  still  continue  to 
be  the  meansof  daily  edification  and  comfort  to  thousands." 
{Whitehead's  Life.) 

For  the  spiritual  advantages  which  the  Methodists  have 
derived  from  his  inestimable  hymns,  which  are  in  constant 
use  in  their  congregations,  as  well  as  for  his  early  labours, 
tiie  memory  of  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  indeed  deserves  to  be 
had  in  their  everlasting  remembrance  ;  and  they  are  not 
insensible  of  the  value  of  the  gift.  Their  taste  has  been 
formed  by  this  high  standard ;  and,  notwithstanding  all  the 
charges  of  illiteracy,  and  want  of  mental  cultivation,  which 
have  been  often  brought  against  them,  we  may  venture  to 
say,  there  are  few  collections  of  psalms  and  hymns  in  use 
in  any  other  congregations,  that  would,  as  a  whole,  be 
tolerated  amongst  them  ; — so  powerful  has  been  the  effect 
produced  by  his  superior  compositions.  The  clear  and 
decisive  character  of  the  religious  experience  which  they 
describe  ;  their  force,  and  life,  and  earnestness  ;  com- 
mended them,  at  the  first,  to  the  piety  of  the  societies,  and, 
through  that,  insensibly  elevated  the  judgment  of  thousands, 
who,  otherwise,  miglit  have  relished,  as  strongly  as  others, 
the  rudeness  of  the  old  version  of  the  Psalms,  (he  tame 
ness  of  the  new,  and  the  tinsel  metaphors  and  vapid  sen- 
timentalisms  which  disfigure  numerous  compositions  of 
different  authors,  in  most  collections  of  hymns  in  use.  It 
would  seem,  indeed,  from  the  very  small  number  of  really 
good  psalms  and  hymns,  which  are  adapted  to  public  wor- 
ship and  the  use  of  religious  societies,  that  this  branch  of 
sacred  poetry  has  not  been  very  successfully  cultivated ; 
and  that  the  combination  of  genius,  judgment,  and  taste, 
requisite  to  produce  them,  is  very  rarely  found.  Germany 
is  said  to  be  more  abundant  in  good  hymns  than  England ; 
and  some  of  the  most  excellent  of  the  Wesleyan  hymns  are 
imitations  of  German  hymns  admirably  versified.  But  in  our 
language  the  number  is  small.    Hym.ns,  indeed,  abounding 


276 


LIFE  OF  THE 


jn  sweet  thoughts,  though  often  feebly  expressed,  and  such 
as  may  be  used  profitably  in  the  closet  or  the  family  circle, 
are  not  so  rare.  But  the  true  sacred  lyric,  suited  for 
public  worship,  and  the  select  assemblies  of  the  devout, 
is  as  scarce  as  it  is  valuable.  From  the  rustic  rhyming  of 
Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  to  the  psalms  and  hymns  of  Dr. 
Watts,  the  advance  was  indeed  unspeakably  great.  A  few, 
however,  only  of  the  latter,  in  comparison  of  the  whole 
number,  are  unexceptionable  throughout.  When  they  are 
so,  they  leave  nothing  to  be  desired ;  but  many  of  Dr. 
Watts's  compositions  begin  well,  often  nobly,  and  then  fall 
off  into  dulness  and  puerility ;  and  not  a  few  are  utterly 
worthless,  as  being  poor  in  thought,  and  still  more  so  in 
expression.  The  piety  and  sweetness  of  Doddridge's 
hymns  must  be  felt ;  but  they  are  often  verbose  and  lan- 
guid, and  withal  faulty  and  affected  in  their  metaphors. 
The  Olney  Collection  has  many  delightful  hymns  for  pri- 
vate use ;  but  they  are  far  from  being  generally  fit  for  the 
public  services  of  religion,  and  are  often  in  bad  taste  ;  not 
even  excepting  many  of  Cowper's.  This  may  be  spoken 
without  irrevei-ence,  for  the  greatest  poets  have  not  proved 
the  best  hymn-makers.  Milton  made  but  one  tolerable 
psalm ;  and  still  more  modern  poets  of  note  have  seldom 
fully  redeemed  the  credit  of  their  class.  The  fact  seems 
to  be,  that  when  the  mind  is  very  rich  in  sentiment  and 
imagery,  those  qualities  are  usually  infused  into  sacred 
song  in  too  large  proportions.  Sentiment  and  genuine 
religious  feeling  are  things  quite  distinct,  and  seldom  har- 
monize ;  at  least,  though  they  may  sometimes  approach  to 
the  verge  of  each  other,  they  will  not  amalgamate ;  and 
exuberance  of  metaphor  is  inconsistent  with  strong  and 
absorbing  devotion,  and  proves  too  artificial  to  express  the 
natural  language  of  the  heart.  The  talent  of  correct  and 
vigorous  versification  is,  for  these  reasons,  more  likely  to 
produce  the  true  "spiritual  song"  than  luxuriance  of  ima- 
gination and  great  creative  genius,  provided  the  requisite 
theological  and  devotional  qualities  be  also  present.  A 
hymn  suitable  for  social  worship  ought  to  be  terse  and 
vigorous  ;  and  it  is  improved  when  every  verse  closes  with 
a  sense  so  full  and  pointed  as  frequently  to  make  some 
approach  to  the  character  of  the  ancient  epigram ;  or,  as 
Mr.  Montgomery  has  happily  expressed  it,  "  each  stanza 


EEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


877 


should  be  a  poetical  tune,  played  down  to  the  last  note." 
The  meaning  ought  also  to  be  so  obvious  as  to  be  compre- 
hended at  once,  that  men  may  speak  to  God  directly, 
without  being  distracted  by  investigating  the  real  meaning 
of  the  words  put  into  their  lips.  And  when  metaphor  is 
efficiently  employed,  it  must  be  generally  such  as  the 
Scriptures  have  already  sanctioned ;  for  with  their  imagery 
we  are  all  famihar,  and  it  stands  consecrated  to  the  service 
of  the  sanctuary  by  inspired  authority.  Yet  even  this  ought 
not  to  be  adopted  in  an  extended  form,  approaching  to 
allegory ;  and  is  always  more  successful  when  rather  Ughtly 
touched  and  suggested,  than  when  dwelt  upon  with  parti- 
cularity. Cowper's  fine  hymn  on  Providence  is  greatly 
improved  by  omitting  the  stanza  : — 

"  His  purposes  will  ripen  fast, 
Unfolding  every  hour  ; 
The  bud  may  have  a  bitter  taste, 
But  sweet  will  be  the  flower." 

This  is  a  figure  not  only  not  found  in  sacred  inspired 
f  oetry,  but  which  has  too  much  prettiness  to  be  the  vehicle 
of  a  sublime  thought,  and  the  verse  has  moreover  the  fault 
of  an  absurd  antithesis,  as  well  as  a  false  rhyme.  Many 
modern  hjinns  are  indeed  as  objectionable  from  the  cha- 
racter of  their  imagery,  as  from  the  meagreness  of  their 
thoughts  ;  and  there  are  a  few  somewhat  popular,  which, 
leaving  out  or  changing  a  few  sacred  terms,  would  chime 
agreeably  enough  to  the  most  common  sentimental  subjects. 

To  Dr.  Watts  and  to  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  the  largest 
share  of  gratitude  is  due,  in  modern  times,  from  the 
Churches  of  Christ,  for  that  rich  supply  of  "  psalms  and 
hymns  and  spiritual  songs,"  in  which  the  assemblies  of 
the  pious  may  make  melody  unto  the  Lord,  in  strains 
which  "angels  might  often  delight  to  hear."  No  others 
are  to  be  named  with  these  sweet  singers  of  the  spiritual 
Israel ;  and  it  is  probable  that,  through  the  medium  of  their 
verse  chiefly,  will  the  devotions  of  our  Churches  be  poured 
forth  till  time  shall  be  no  more.  No  other  poets  ever 
attained  such  elevation  as  this.  They  honoured  God  in 
their  gifts,  and  God  has  thus  honoured  them  to  be  the 
mouth  of  his  people  to  him,  in  their  solemn  assemblies,  in 
their  private  devotions,  and  in  the  struggles  of  death  itself. 

It  would  be  an  unpardonable  task  to  compare  the  merits 


278 


LIFE  OF  TIIK 


of  these  two  great  psalmists.  Each  had  excellencies  not 
found  in  the  other.  Watts,  however,  excels  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley,  only  in  the  sweeter  flow  of  his  numbers,  and  in 
the  feeling  and  sympathy  of  those  of  his  hymns  which  are 
designed  to  administer  comfort  to  the  afflicted.  In  compo- 
sition,  he  was,  in  all  respects,  decidedly  his  inferior, — in 
good  taste,  classic  elegance,  uniformity  of  excellence,  cor- 
rect rhyming,  and  vigour.  As  to  the  theology  of  their 
hymns  respectively,  leaving  particular  doctrines  out  of  the 
question,  the  great  truths  of  religious  experience  are  also 
far  more  clearly  and  forcibly  embodied  by  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley  than  by  Dr.  Watts.  Most  justly  does  his  brother 
say  of  them  in  his  preface  to  "  the  Collection  of  Hymns 
for  the  use  of  the  people  called  Methodists,"  of  which 
only  a  few  are  his  own,  and  almost  all  the  rest  from  the 
pen  of  Mr.  Charles  Wesley, — "  In  these  hymns  there  is 
no  doggerel,  no  botches,  nothing  put  in  to  patch  up  the 
rhyme,  no  feeble  expletives.  Here  is  nothing  turgid  or 
bombastic,  on  the  one  hand,  or  low  and  creeping  on  the 
other.  Here  are  no  cant  expressions,  no  words  withouff 
meaning.  Here  are  (allow  me  to  say)  both  the  purity,  the 
strength  and  the  elegance  of  the  English  language  ;  and, 
at  the  same  time,  the  utmost  simplicity  and  plainness, 
suited  to  every  capacity."* 

*  In  this  collection,  beside  a  few  liymns  by  Mr.  John  Wesley,  there 
are  four  or  five  from  Dr.  Watts.  Several  aro  translations  by  the 
W^sleys :  one  from  the  Spanish,  "  O  God,  my  God,  my  all  thou  art," 
&c  :  one  from  the  French,  "Come,  Saviour  Jesus,  from  above  :"  and 
the  others  from  tlio  German  hymns  of  the  Lutheran  and  Moravian 
Churches.  Several  of  those  translated  hymns  Mr.  Montgomery  lias 
inserted  in  his  "  Psalmist,"  and  marked  "  Moravian."  They  appear 
indeed  in  the  Moravian  Hymn  Book,  but  in  departments  thfra,  in 
which  are  also  found  the  hymns  of  Dr.  Watts  and  other  English  au- 
thors. The  preface  of  the  edition  of  17.54,  the  first  authorized  collection 
of  the  English  Moravians,  and  which  embodies  their  former  unauthor 
ized  publications,  acknowledges  "  tlie  foregoing  labours  of  Mr.  Jacobi 
and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wesley"  in  the  translation  of  German  hymns  of  the 
sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  beside  extracts  of  English  ones 
of  the  eighteenth,  from  "Watts,  Stennett,  Davis,  Erskine,  Weshy," 
&c  ;  which  acknowledgment  was  no  doubt  overlooked  by  Mr.  Mont, 
gomcry.  The  hymns  translated  by  the  Wesleys,  and  said  by  Mr. 
Montgomery  in  his  collection  to  be  "  Moravian"  are,  "  Thou  hidden 
love  of  God,  whose  height ;"  "  Thee  will  I  love,  my  strength,  my 
tower;"  "  Shall  I  for  fear  of  feeble  man  ;"  "  O  thou  who  earnest  from 
above ;"  "  Now  I  have  found  the  ground  wherein ;"  "  Mv  soul  before 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


279 


Few  persons  ever  wrote  so  much  poetry  of  the  sacred 
and  devotional  kind,  as  Mr.  Charles  Wesley.    It  amounts 

thee  prostrate  lies;"  and  "Holy  Lamb,  who  thee  receive."  Now  all 
these  were  published  by  tlie  Wesleys  before  the  Moravian  Hymn 
Book  of  1754,  in  whicli  the  "  foregoing  labours  of  Mr.  Weshy,"  in 
translating  from  the  d^rman  are  acknowledged  ;  and  indeed  most  of 
them  appear  in  the  very  first  hymn  books  published  by  John  and 
Charles  Wesley,  two  of  which  bear  date  so  early  as  1739,  fifteen 
years  previous  to  the  publication  of  the  authorized  Moravian  Collec- 
tion. As  translations,  they  arc  not  therefore  "  Moravian ;"  and,  when 
they  are  translated  from  "the  German,"  it  does  not  follow  that  they 
all  have  a  Moravian  original,  though  some  of  them  may  ;  for  tlie 
Moravian  German  book,  like  the  Englisii,  as  we  learn  from  the  preface 
to  their  English  hymn  book,  "consists  as  well  of  hymns  out  of  pre- 
ceding Church  collections  of  their  neighbours  as  of  others  composed  by 
themselves."  The  hymn,  "High  on  his  everlasting  throne,"  marked 
"  Moravian"  by  Mr.  Montgomery,  and  mentioned  also  in  his  preface, 
is  a  Moravian  German  hymn ;  but  the  translation  is  by  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley ;  whilst  "  Give  to  the  winds  thy  fears,"  also  marked  ]\Io- 
ravian  is  a  German  hymn  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  the  trans- 
lation is  Mr.  Charles  Wesley's.  Of  this  hymn  there  is  a  version  in 
the  Moravian  English  Hymn  Book;  the  last  stanza  of  which,  when 
placed  beside  Mr.  C.  Wesley's,  will  show  with  what  strength  of  in- 
ternal evidence  his  translations  distinguish  themselves  : — 

Wesley's.  Moravian. 

Thou  seest  our  weaJuiess,  Lord,  O  Lord,  thou  seest  our  weakness. 

Our  hearts  are  known  to  thee  ;  Yet  know'st  what  our  hearts  me.m  : 

O  lift  thou  up  the  sinking  liand,  Against  desponding  slackness. 

Confirm  the  feeble  knee  !  Our  feeble  knees  sustain. 

Let  us  in  life  and  death.  Till,  and  beyond  death's  valley. 

Thy  steadfast  truth  declare  ;  Let  us  thy  truth  declare  ; 

And  publish  with  our  latest  breath  Yea,  then  emphatically, 

Thy  love  and  guardian  care.  Boast  of  thy  guardian  care. 

Some  other  comparisons  might  be  made  between  Mr.  C.  Wesley's 
translations  from  German  hymns  and  those  from  the  same  originals 
found  in  the  Moravian  Hymn  Book,  which  would  sufficiently  show 
that  the  IMoravians,  then  at  least,  had  no  translator  into  English  verse 
at  all  compar:ible  to  him  ;  and  indeed  they  had  sufficient  taste  gene- 
rally to  adopt  liis  translations  in  preference.  But  this  is  no  reason 
why  he  should  lose  the  credit  of  his  own  admirable  performances  in 
this  department.  Respect  to  literary  justice  has  drawn  out  this  note 
to  so  great  a  length  ;  and  it  was  the  more  necessary  to  state  the 
matter  correctly,  because  Mr.  Montgomery's  "  Psalmist"  might  in 
future  mislead.  The  first  editions  of  the  Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems, 
by  the  Wesleys,  viz.,  those  of  1739, 1743,  and  1745,  in  which  most  of 
the  above  hy/nns  are  found,  with  several  others  in  the  Moravian 
Hymn  Book,  are  now  bocome  scarce,  and  in  a  few  years  may  not  be 
forthcoming  to  correct  the  error.  For  this  reason  it  may  also  be 
noticed  that  Mr.  Montgomery  has  inserted  in  his  collection  several 
hymns  by  Charles  Wesley  as  the  composition  of  "  authors  unknown." 
These,  too,  are  found  in  the  early  editions  of  the  Wesley  Hymns  and 
Poems,  and  in  some  later  ones,  as,  "Come  let  us  who  in  Christ 


280 


LITE  OF  THE 


to  forty-eight  distinct  publications  of  different  sizes,  from 
the  duodecimo  voKime,  to  the  pamphlet  of  one  or  two  sheets. 
Beside  what  is  published,  several  thick  quarto  volumes 
of  poetry  in  MS.  remain,  chiefly  consisting  of  brief  illus- 
trations or  paraphrases  of  the  leading  texts  in  the  Gospels 
and  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  not  inferior  to  his  "  Short 
Hymns  on  the  chief  passages  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments," which  have  passed  through  several  editions.  A  few 
of  his  poems  are  playful,  a  few  others  are  keenly  satirical. 
He  satirized  his  brother's  ordinations,  and  the  preachers  ; 
but,  High  Churchman  as  he  was,  he  is  very  unsparing  in 
the  use  of  his  poetic  whip  upon  the  persecuting  and  irre 
ligious  clergy.  Of  this,  some  of  his  pubhshed,  and  several 
of  his  unpublished  paraphrases,  on  passages  of  the  Gospels, 

believe  ;"  "  Come,  O  thou  all-Victorious  Lord ;"  "  Fountain  of  being, 
sourcs  of  good ;"  "  God  of  my  life,  whose  gracious  power  ;"  "Jesus, 
my  strength,  my  hope  ;"  "  Jesus,  the  name  liigh  over  all ;"  "  Leader 
of  faithful  souls,  and  guide  ;"  "  O  that  thou  would'st  the  heavens 
rent ;"  "  Spirit  of  truth,  come  down  ;"  "  Thee,  O  my  God  and  King ;" 
"  Thy  ceaseless,  unexhausted  love  ;"  and,  "  When  quiet  in  my  house 
I  sit."  There  are  two  ways  of  accounting  for  Mr. Montgomery's  want 
of  information  as  to  these  hymns ; — that  he  was  not  in  possession  of 
the  early  editions  of  hymns  published  by  John  and  Charles  Wesley  ; — 
and  that  some  of  the  hymns  in  the  hymn  book  in  use  amongst  us, 
which  he  has  ascribed  to  authors  unknown,  are  parts  of  longer  hymns, 
and  were  selected  by  Mr.  John  Wesley  from  his  brother's  poetry, 
sometimes  from  tlie  middle  or  end  of  a  piece,  so  that  the  first  lines 
would  not  be  found  in  the  old  indexes  when  consulted.  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley's  hymns  have  not  been  unfrequently  claimed  for  others,  with- 
out any  design  to  bo  unjust.  In  the  Christian  Observer,  a  few  years 
ago,  that  exquisite  production  of  one  of  his  happiest  moments,  "Jesus, 
lover  of  my  soul,"  was  Hssigned  to  Mr.  Madan,  although  published 
by  Mr.  Charles  Wesley,  in  the  year  1743  ;  and  the  translation  from 
the  French,  "Come,  Saviour  Jesus,  from  above,"  is  found  in  the 
poetical  works  of  Dr.  John  Byrom,  published  in  1773,  although  it 
appears  in  the  Wesley  "  Hymns  and  Poems"  of  1739.  The  proba- 
bility is,  that  a  copy  of  it  was  found  among  Byrom's  papers,  and  so 
the  editor  of  his  poems  concluded  it  to  be  his.  A  correct  list  of  the 
different  editions  of  the  Hymns  and  Sacred  Posms  published  by  the 
Wesleys  will  bo  found  in  the  last  volume  of  Wesley's  Works,  recently 
completed.  The  editions  of  l739  are  scarce,  and  it  ought  to  be  noticed 
that  there  are  two  distinct  works  published  under  the  same  title  of 
"Hymns  and  Sacred  Posms,"  each  beai-ing  that  date.  The  hymn 
book  now  in  use  was  compiled  by  Mr.  Joiin  Wesley  out  of  the  pre. 
ceding  hymn  books,  of  different  sizes  and  editions,  and  from  his  bro- 
ther's "  Festival  Hymns,"  "  Scripture  Hymns,"  &c.  The  whole 
underwent  his  severe  criticism,  and  he  abridged  and  corrected  them 
with  a  taste  and  jiidgment  which  greatly  increased  their  value. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


281 


and  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  in  which  the  persecuting  deeds 
of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  are  recorded,  afford  some  caus- 
tic specimens  ;*  and  sufficiently  indicate  that  he  did  not  bear 
the  contumely  and  opposition  of  his  High  Church  brethren 
with  the  equanimity  and  gentleness  of  his  brother  John 
He  also  took  a  part  in  the  Calvinistic  controversy,  by 
writing  his  Hymns  or  Poems  on  God's  universal  love.  But 
b}  far  the  greater  part  of  his  poetry  was  consecrated  to 
promote  the  work  of  God  in  the  heart.  Never  were  its 
different  branches,  from  the  first  awakening  of  the  soul  out 
of  the  sleep  of  sin,  to  its  state  of  perfected  holiness,  with 
all  its  intermediate  conflicts  and  exercises,  more  justly  or 
scripturally  expressed  ;  and  there  is,  perhaps,  no  uninspired 
book  from  which,  as  to  "  the  deep  things  of  God,"  so 
much  is  to  be  learned,  as  from  his  hymn  book  in  use  in 
the  Methodist  congregations.  The  funeral  hymns  in  this 
collection  have  but  little  of  the  softness  of  sorrow, — per- 
haps too  little  ;  but  they  are  written  in  that  fulness  of  faith, 
which  exclaims  over  the  open  tomb, — "  Thanks  be  to  God 
who  giveth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
The  hymns  on  the  last  day  are  characterized  also  by  the 
same  unflinching  faith,  which,  rejoicing  in  the  smile  of  the 
Judge,  defies  the  wild  uproar  of  elements,  and  the  general 

*  As  almost  all  the  family  were  poets,  so  they  were  all  character 
ized  by  a  vein  of  satire.  This  they  appear  to  have  inherited  from  their 
father,  whose  wit  was  both  ready  and  pungent.  The  following  is  an 
instance  copied  from  the  Gentleman's  Magazine,  for  the  year  1802 : — 
"  The  authenticity  of  the  following  extempore  grace  by  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Wesley,  (father  of  the  Rev.  John, )  formerly  rector  of  Ep  worth, 
may  be  relied  on.  It  is  given  on  the  authority  of  the  lato  William 
Barnard,  Esq.,  of  Gainsborough,  whose  father,  the  preserver  of  John 
from  the  fire  of  1707,  was  present  at  the  time  it  was  spoken,  at 
Temple  Belwood,  after  dinner.  Mr.  P.,  at  whose  house  they  dined, 
was  a  strange  compound  of  avarice  and  oddity  ;  many  of  his  sin. 
gularities  are  still  remembered. 

'  Tlianks  for  this  feast,  for  'tis  no  less 
Than  eating  manna  in  the  wilderness ; 
Here  meagre  Famine  bears  controlless  sway. 
And  ever  drives  each  fainting  wretch  away. 
Yet  here,  (O  how  beyond  a  saint's  belief!) 
We've  seen  the  glories  of  a  chme  of  beef ; 
Here  chimneys  smoke,  which  never  smoked  before. 
And  we  have  dined,  where  we  shall  dine  no  more.' " 
The  design  of  this  odd  extemporaneous  effusion  we  are  bound  to 
believe,  was  not  to  indulge  in  levity,  but  to  convey  a  useful  reproof 
24* 


282 


LIFE  OF  THE 


conflagration  itself.  In  several  of  these,  Mr.  Charles 
Wesley  has  admirably  Christianized  the  "just  man"  of 
Horace,  dreadless,  amidst  the  ruins  of  a  world  ; 

Si  fraclus  illabatur  orbis, 
Impavidum  ferient  ruince ;" 
Jf  a  dissolved  world  should  fall  upon  him,  its  ruins  would  slriko 
him  fearless ;] 

placing  the  same  fine  thought  in  various  aspects,  and  illus- 
trating  it  by  different  circumstances.  His  hymns  of  invi- 
tation  are  sweet  and  persuasive  ;  and  those  on  justification 
by  faith,  admirably  illustrative  of  that  important  doctrine. 
Of  the  value  set  upon  this  hymn  book  by  the  Methodist 
congregations,  this  is  a  sufficient  proof,  that  above  sixty 
thousand  copies  are  sold  yearly  in  the  United  Kingdom 
alone.*  The  number  in  the  United  States  of  America 
must  be  considerably  larger. 

With  reference  to  his  brother's  poetry  a  remark  is  inci- 
dentally and  somewhat  oddly  introduced,  by  Mr.  Wesley, 
in  his  journal  of  1790,  Jan.  28  : — 

"  I  retired  to  Peckham,  and  at  leisure  hours  read  part 
of  a  very  pretty  trifle,  the  life  of  Mrs.  Bellamy.  Surely 
never  did  any  since  John  Dryden  study  more 

'  To  make  vice  pleasing,  and  damnation  shine,' 
than  this  lively  and  elegant  writer.  She  has  a  fine  ima- 
gination, a  strong  understanding,  an  easy  style,  improved 
by  much  reading ;  a  fine,  benevolent  temper,  and  eveiy 
qualification  that  could  consist  with  a  total  ignorance  of 
God :  but  God  was  not  in  all  her  thoughts.  Abundance 
of  anecdotes  she  inserts,  which  may  be  true  or  false.  One 
of  them,  concerning  Mr.  Garrick,  is  curious:  she  says, 
*  When  he  was  taking  ship  for  England,  a  lady  presented 
him  with  a  parcel,  which  she  desired  him  not  to  open  till 
he  was  at  sea.  When  he  did,  he  found  Wesley's  Hymns, 
which  he  immediately  threw  over  board.'  I  cannot  believe 
it.  I  think  Mr.  G.  had  more  sense.  He  knew  my  brother 
well.  And  he  knew  him  to  be  not  only  far  superior  in 
learning,  but  in  poetry,  to  Mr.  Thomson,  and  all  his  thea- 

*  As  the  number  of  hymns  in  tliis  book,  adapted  for  mixed  congre. 
gations  and  festivaloccasions,was  not  thought  sufficient, asupplement 
is  ni)W  added  ;  containing  about  an  equal  number  of  hymns,  by  Mr. 
Charles  Wesley,  and  by  other  authors.  Some  of  the  best  hymns  he 
ever  wrote  are  found  in  this  smaller  collection,  chiefly  on  the  festivals 


REV.  JOHN  WE8LEif 


283 


trical  writers  put  together :  none  of  them  can  equal  him, 
either  in  strong  nervous  sense,  or  purity  and  elegance  of 
language.  The  musical  compositions  of  his  sons  are  not 
more  excellent  than  the  poetical  ones  of  their  father." 

The  last  end  of  the  truly  venerable  John  Wesley  was 
now  also  approaching.  He  was  on  his  regular  pastoral 
visit  to  Ireland,  when  he  entered  his  eighty-seventh  year, 
on  which  he  remarks  in  his  journal :  "  This  day  I  enter 
on  my  eighty-seventh  year.  I  now  find  I  grow  old.  1.  My 
sight  is  decayed,  so  that  I  cannot  read  a  small  print,  un- 
less  in  a  strong  light.  2.  My  strength  is  decayed,  so  that 
I  walk  much  slower  than  I  did  some  years  since.  3.  My 
memory  of  names,  whether  of  persons  or  places,  is  decayed, 
till  I  stop  a  little  lo  recollect  them.  What  I  should  be 
afraid  of  is,  if  I  took  thought  for  the  morrow,  that  my 
body  should  weigh  down  my  mind,  and  create  either  stub 
bornness,  by  the  decrease  of  my  understanding,  or  pee- 
vishness, by  the  increase  of  bodily  infirmities :  but  thou 
shalt  answer  for  me,  O  Lord  my  God  !" 

Notwithstanding  these  infirmities,  we  find  him  still  act 
ing  under  the  impression — "  I  must  be  about  my  Father's 
business."  Although  in  comparison  of  his  former  rapidity 
of  movement,  he  crept  rather  than  ran  ;  it  was  still  in  the 
same  ceaseless  course  of  service.  After  holding  the  Irish 
conference  in  Dublin,  and  the  English  conference  at 
Leeds,  in  August,  he  returned  to  London  ;  from  thence  he 
set  out  to  Bristol,  and  proceeded  on  his  usual  tour  through 
the  west  of  England,  and  Cornwall.  Notwithstanding  his 
regular  visits  to  Cornwall,  he  appears,  from  some  reason, 
not  to  have  turned  aside  to  Falmouth,  since  the  time  of 
his  preaching  there  forty  years  before,  when  he  met  with 
so  violent  a  reception.  He  now  paid  that  place  a  visit,  and 
remarks, — "  The  last  time  I  was  here,  about  forty  years 
ago,  I  was  taken  prisoner  by  an  immense  mob,  gaping  and 
roaring  like  lions  ;  but  how  is  the  tide  turned  !  High  and 
low  now  lined  the  streets  from  one  end  of  the  town  to  the 
other,  out  of  stark  love  and  kindness,  gaping  and  staring 
as  if  the  king  were  going  by.  In  the  evening  I  preached 
on  the  smooth  top  of  the  hill,  at  a  small  distance  from  the 
sea,  to  the  largest  congregation  I  have  ever  seen  in  Corn- 
wall, except  in  or  near  Redruth ;  and  such  a  time  I  have 
not  known  before,  since  I  returned  from  Ireland.  God 


284 


UFK  OF  THB 


moved  wonderfully  on  the  hearts  of  the  people,  who  all 

seemed  to  know  the  day  of  their  visitation." 

From  Cornwall  he  returned  by  way  of  Bristol  and  Bath 
to  London.  In  the  early  part  of  the  next  year,  we  find  him 
again  at  Bristol ;  from  whence  he  proceeded,  preaching  at 
several  of  the  intermediate  towns,  to  Birmingham  ;  and 
from  thence  through  Staffordshire  to  Madeley,  where  we 
find  the  following  affecting  entry  in  his  journal  : — 

"  At  nine  I  preached  to  a  select  congregation  on  the 
deep  things  of  God ;  and  in  the  evening  on, '  He  is  able 
to  save  unto  the  uttermost  all  them  tliat  come  unto  God 
through  him.'  Friday  26,  1  finished  my  sermon  on  the 
*  Wedding  Garment ;'  perhaps  the  last  that  I  shall  write. 
My  eyes  are  now  waxed  dim.  My  natural  force  is  abated  ; 
however,  while  I  can,  I  would  fain  do  a  little  for  God,  be- 
fore  I  drop  into  the  dust." 

The  societies  in  Cheshire,  Lancashire,  and  the  north  of 
England,  once  more,  and  for  the  last  time,  saw  the  man, 
to  whom,  under  God,  they  owed  their  religious  existence. 
On  his  return  southward,  he  passed  through  the  East  Rid- 
ing of  Yorkshire,  to  Hull ;  preaching  in  every  place  as  on 
the  brink  of  eternity.  He  also  visited  Epworth,  and  va- 
rious parts  of  Lincolnshire ;  and,  upon  attaining  his  eighty, 
eighth  year,  has  the  following  reflections : — 

"  This  day  I  enter  into  my  eighty-eighth  year.  For 
above  eighty-six  years,  I  found  none  of  the  infirmities  of 
old  age  ;  my  eyes  did  not  wax  dim,  neither  was  my  natural 
strength  abated  ;  but  last  August  I  found  almost  a  sudden 
change  :  my  eyes  were  so  dim  that  no  glasses  would  help 
me  ;  my  strength  likewise  now  quite  forsook  me,  and  pro- 
bably  will  not  return  in  this  world  :  but  I  feel  no  pain  from 
head  to  foot ;  only,  it  seems,  nature  is  exhausted,  and, 
humanly  speaking,  will  sink  more  and  more,  till 
'  The  weary  springs  of  life  stand  still  at  last.'" 

"  This,"  says  Dr.  Whitehead,  "  at  length  was  literally 
the  case  ;  the  death  of  Mr.  Wesley,  like  that  of  his  brother 
Charles,  being  one  of  those  rare  instances  in  which  nature, 
drooping  under  the  load  of  years,  sinks  by  a  gentle  decay. 
For  several  years  preceding  his  death,  this  decay  was,  per 
haps,  more  visible  to  others  than  to  himself,  particularly  by 
a  more  frequent  disposition  to  sleep  during  the  day,  by  a 
growing  defect  in  memory,  a  faculty  he  once  possessed  in 


KEV.  JOHN  WE9LE7, 


285 


a  high  degree  of  perfection,  and  by  a  general  diminution 
of  the  vigour  and  agility  he  had  so  long  enjoyed.  His 
labours,  however,  suftered  little  interruption  ;  and  when 
the  summons  came,  it  found  him.  as  he  always  wished  it 
should,  in  the  harness,  still  occupied  in  his  Master's  work !" 

Still  his  journal  records  his  regular  visitation  of  the 
principal  places  where  societies  existed,  and  exhibits  the 
same  variety  and  raciness  of  remark  on  men  and  books, 
and  other  subjects,  although  writing  must,  at  that  time, 
have  become  exceedingly  difficult  to  him  from  the  failure 
of  his  sight.  This  most  interesting  record  of  unparalleled 
labours  "in  the  Gospel"  was,  for  this  reason,  it  is  pre- 
sumed, discontinued,  and  closes  on  Sunday,  October 
24th,  1790,  when  he  states  that  he  preached  twice  at 
Spitalfields  churcli.  He  continued,  however,  during  the 
autumn  and  winter,  to  visit  various  places  till  February, 
continually  praying, "  Lord,  let  me  not  live  to  be  useless." 
The  following  account  of  his  last  days  is  taken  from  the 
memoir  prefixed  to  the  edition  of  his  Avorks  by  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Benson,  and  is  there  inserted  as  a  proper  close  to 
his  journal : — 

"  He  preached,  as  usual,  in  different  places  in  London 
and  its  vicinity,  generally  meeting  the  society  after  preach 
ing  in  each  place,  and  exhorting  them  to  love  as  brethren, 
to  fear  God,  and  honour  the  king,  which  he  wished  them 
to  consider  as  his  last  advice.  He  then  usually,  if  not  in 
variably,  concluded,  with  giving  out  that  verse, — 
'  O  that,  without  a  lingering  groan, 
I  may  the  welcome  word  receive ; 
My  body  with  my  charge  lay  down, 
And  cease  at  once  to  work  and  live.' 

"  He  proceeded  in  tbis  way  till  tbe  usual  time  of  his 
leaving  London  approached,  when,  with  a  view  to  take  his 
accustomed  journey  through  Ireland  or  Scotland,  he  sent 
his  chaise  and  horses  before  him  to  Bnstol,  and  took  places 
for  himself  and  his  friend  in  the  Bath  coach.  But  his  mind, 
with  all  its  vigour,  could  no  longer  uphold  his  worn-out 
and  sinking  body.  It3  powers  ceased,  although  by  slow 
and  almost  imperceptible  degrees,  to  perform  their  sundry 
offices,  until,  as  he  often  expressed  himself, 

'  The  weary  wheels  of  life  stood  still  at  last.' 

"Thursday,  February  17,  1791,  he  preached  at  Lam- 


286 


MFE  OF  THE 


beth  ;  but,  on  his  return,  seemed  much  indisposed,  and 
said,  he  had  taken  cold.  The  next  day,  however,  he  read 
and  wrote  as  usual ;  and  in  the  evening,  preached  at  Chel- 
sea,  from,  "  The  King's  business  requires  haste,"  although 
with  some  difficulty,  having  a  high  degree  of  fever  upon 
him.  Indeed  he  was  obliged  to  stop  once  or  twice,  inform- 
ing the  people  that  his  cold  so  affected  his  voice  as  to 
prevent  his  speaking  without  those  necessary  pauses.  On 
Saturday  he  still  persevered  in  his  usual  employments, 
though,  to  those  about  him,  his  complaints  seemed  evi- 
dently  increasing.  He  dined  at  Islington,  and  at  dinner 
desired  a  friend  to  read  to  him  four  chapters  out  of  the 
book  of  Job,  viz.,  from  the  fourth  to  the  seventh  inclusive. 
On  Sunday  he  rose  early,  according  to  custom,  but  quite 
unfit  for  any  of  his  usual  Sabbath  day's  exercises.  At 
seven  o'clock  he  was  obliged  to  lie  down,  and  slept  be- 
tween  three  and  four  hours.  When  he  awoke,  he  said,  "  I 
have  not  had  such  a  comfortable  sleep  this  fortnight  past." 
In  the  afternoon  he  lay  down  again,  and  slept  an  hour  or 
two.  Afterward  two  of  his  own  discourses  on  our  Lord's 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  were  read  to  him,  and  in  the  even- 
ing he  came  down  to  supper. 

"  Monday  the  21st,  he  seemed  much  better  ;  and  though 
his  friends  tried  to  dissuade  him  from  it,  he  would  keep 
an  engagement,  made  some  time  before,  to  dine  at  Twick- 
enham. In  his  way  thither  he  called  on  Lady  Mary 
Fitzgerald :  the  conversation  was  truly  profitable,  and 
well  became  a  last  visit.  On  Tuesday  he  went  on  with 
his  usual  work,  preached  in  the  evening  at  the  chapel  in 
the  City-Road,  and  seemed  much  better  than  lie  had  been 
for  some  days.  On  Wednesday  he  went  to  Leatherhead. 
and  preached  to  a  small  company  on,  "  Seek  ye  the  Lord 
w  hile  he  may  be  found  ;  call  ye  upon  him  while  he  is  near." 
This  proved  to  be  his  last  sermon  :  here  ended  the  public 
laboifi's  of  this  great  minister  of  .Tesus  Christ.  On  Thurs- 
day he  paid  a  visit  to  Mr.  W olff 's  family  at  Balham,  where 
he  was  cheerful,  and  seemed  nearly  as  well  as  usual,  till 
Friday,  about  breakfast  time,  when  he  grew  very  heavy. 
About  eleven  o'clock  he  returned  home,  extremely  iP- 
His  friends  were  struck  with  the  manner  of  his  getting 
out  of  the  carriage,  and  still  more  with  his  apparent  weak- 
ness  when  he  went  up  stairs  and  sat  down  in  his  chair. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


287 


He  now  desired  to  be  left  alone,  and  not  to  be  interrupted 
by  any  one,  for  half  an  hour.  When  that  time  was  expired, 
some  mulled  wine  was  brought  him,  of  which  he  drank  a 
little.  In  a  few  minutes  he  threw  it  up,  and  said,  '  I  must 
lie  down.'  His  friends  were  now  alarmed,  and  Dr.  White- 
head was  immediately  sent  for.  On  his  entering  the  room, 
he  said  in  a  cheerful  voice, '  Doctor,  they  are  more  afraid 
than  hurt.'  l\Iost  of  this  day  he  lay  in  bed,  had  a  quick 
pulse,  with  a  considerable  degree  of  fever  and  stupor. 
And  Saturday,  the  26th,  he  continued  in  much  the  same 
state  ;  taking  very  little  either  of  medicine  or  nourishment. 

"  Sunday  morning  he  seemed  much  better,  got  up,  and 
took  a  cup  of  tea.  Sitting  in  his  chair,  he  looked  quite 
cheerful,  and  repeated  the  latter  part  of  the  verse,  in  his 
brother  Charles's  Scripture  Hymns,  on  '  Forsake  me  not 
when  my  strength  faileth,'  viz  :  — 

'  Till  glad  I  lay  this  body  down, 
Tliy  servant,  Lord,  attend  ; 
And,  O  !  iny  life  of  mercy  crown 
With  a  triumphant  end.' 

Soon  after,  in  a  most  emphatical  manner,  he  said,  '  Our 
friend  Lazarus  sleepeth.'  Exerting  himself  to  converse 
with  some  friends,  he  was  soon  fatigued,  and  obliged  to 
lie  down.  After  lying  quiet  some  time,  he  looked  up,  and 
said,  '  Speak  to  me  ;  I  cannot  speak.'  On  which  one  of 
the  company  said,  '  Shall  we  pray  with  you,  sir  V  He  ear- 
nestly replied,  '  Yes.'  And  while  they  prayed,  his  whole 
soul  seemed  engaged  with  God  for  an  answer,  and  his 
hearty  Amen  showed  that  he  perfectly  understood  what 
was  said.  About  half  an  hour  after,  he  said,  '  There  is 
no  need  of  more  ;  when  at  Bristol  my  words  were, 

'  I  the  chief  of  sinners  am, 
But  Jesus  died  for  me.'  * 

»  At  the  Bristol  confi  rence,  in  1783,  Mr.  Wesley  was  taken  very 
ill ;  neither  he  nor  his  friends  thought  he  could  recover.  From  the 
nature  of  his  complaint,  he  supposed  a  spasm  would  seize  his  stomach, 
and,  probably,  occasion  sudden  death.  Under  these  views  of  his  situ- 
ation, ho  said  to  Mr.  Bradford,  "  I  have  been  reflecting  on  my  past 
lifs  :  1  liave  been  wandering  up  and  down,  between  fifty  and  sixty 
years,  endeavouring,  in  my  poor  way,  to  do  a  little  good  to  my  fellow 
creatures  :  and  now  it  is  probable,  that  there  are  but  a  few  steps 
between  me  and  death  ;  and  what  nave  I  to  trust  to  for  salvation  ? 


288 


UFE  OF  THB 


"  One  said,  '  Is  this  the  present  language  of  your  heart, 
and  do  you  now  feel  as  you  did  then  ?'  He  replied,  'Yes.' 
When  the  same  person  repeated, 

'  Bold  I  approach  the  eternal  throne, 
And  claim  the  crown,  through  Christ  my  own  ;' 

and  added,  '  'Tis  enough.  He  our  precious  Immanuel  has 
purchased,  has  promised,  all ;'  he  earnestly  replied,  '  He 
is  all !  He  is  all !'  After  this  the  fever  was  very  high,  and, 
at  times,  affected  his  recollection  ;  but  even  then,  though 
his  head  was  subject  to  a  temporary  derangement,  his 
heart  seemed  wholly  engaged  in  his  Master's  work.  In 
the  evening  he  got  up  again,  and,  while  sitting  in  his  chair, 
he  said,  '  How  necessary  it  is  for  every  one  to  be  on  the 
right  foundation ! 

'  I  the  chief  of  sinner^  am. 
But  Jesus  died  for  me  !'  " 

"  Monday,  the  28th,  his  weakness  increased.  He  slept 
most  of  the  day,  and  spoke  but  little  ;  yet  that  little  testi- 
fied how  much  his  whole  heart  was  taken  up  in  the  care 
of  the  societies,  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  promotion  of 
the  things  pertaining  to  that  kingdom  to  which  he  was 
hastening.  Once  he  said,  in  a  low  but  distinct  manner, 
'  There  is  no  way  into  the  holiest,  but  by  the  blood  of 
Jesus.'  He  afterward  inquired  what  the  words  were  from 
which  he  had  preached  a  little  before  at  Hampstead.  Being 
told  they  were  these,  'Ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that  though  he  was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes 
he  became  poor,  that  ye  through  his  poverty  might  be 
rich  :'  he  replied,  'That  is  the  foundation,  the  only  founda- 
tion  :  there  is  no  other.'  This  day  Dr.  Whitehead  desired 
he  might  be  asked,  if  he  would  have  any  other  physician 
called  in  to  attend  him;  but  this  he  absolutely  refused. 
It  is  remarkable  that  he  suffered  veiy  little  pain,  never 
complaining  of  any  during  his  illness,  but  once  of  a  pain 

1  can  see  nothing  which  I  have  done  or  suffered,  that  will  bear 
looking  at.    I  have  no  other  plea  than  this, 

'  I  the  chief  of  sinners  am. 
But  Jesus  died  for  me.'  " 
The  sentiment  here  expressed,  and  his  reference  to  it  in  his  laat 
sickness,  plainly  show  how  steadily  he  had  persevered  in  the  same 
views  of  the  Gospel. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLKV. 


289 


in  his  left  breast.  This  was  a  restless  night.  Tuesday 
morning  he  sung  two  verses  of  a  hymn  :  then  lying  still, 
as  if  to  recover  strength,  he  called  for  pen  and  ink ;  but 
when  they  were  brought,  he  could  not  write.  A  person 
said,  'Let  me  write  for  you,  sir  :  tell  me  what  you  would 
say.'  He  replied,  'Nothing,  but  that  God  is  with  us.' 
In  the  forenoon  he  said,  '  I  will  get  up.'  While  they  were 
preparing  his  clothes,  he  broke  out  in  a  manner  which, 
considering  his  extreme  weakness,  astonished  all  present, 
in  singing, 

'  I'll  praise  my  Maker  while  I've  breatli, 
And  when  my  voice  is  lost  in  death, 

Praise  shall  employ  my  nobler  powers  : 
My  days  of  praise  shall  ne'er  be  past, 
While  life,  and  thought,  and  being  last, 
Or  immortality  endures !' 

"  Having  got  him  into  his  chair,  they  observed  him 
change  for  death.  But  he,  regardless  of  his  dying  body, 
said,  with  a  weak  voice,  '  Lord,  thou  givest  strength  to 
those  that  can  speak,  and  to  those  who  cannot.  Speak, 
Lord,  to  all  our  hearts,  and  let  them  know  that  thou  loosest 
tongues.'    He  then  sung, 

'  To  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost, 
Who  sweetly  all  agree, — ' 

Here  his  voice  failed.  After  gasping  for  breath,  he  said, 
♦Now  we  have  done  all.'  He  was  then  laid  in  the  bed, 
from  which  he  rose  no  more.  After  resting  a  little  he 
called  to  those  that  were  with  him  to  'pray  and  praise.' 
They  kneeled  down,  and  the  room  seemed  to  be  filled 
with  the  Divine  presence.  A  little  after,  he  said,  '  Let  me 
be  buried  in  nothing  but  what  is  woollen,  and  let  my 
corpse  be  carried  into  the  chapel.'  Then,  as  if  he  had 
done  with  all  below,  he  again  begged  they  would  pray  and 
praise.  Several  friends  that  were  in  the  house  being 
called  up,  they  all  kneeled  down  again  to  prayer,  at  which 
time  his  fervour  of  spirit  was  manifest  to  every  one  pre- 
sent. But  in  particular  parts  of  the  prayer,  his  whole  soul 
seemed  to  be  engaged  in  a  manner  which  evidently  showed 
how  ardently  he  longed  for  the  full  accomplishment  of 
their  united  desires.  And  when  one  of  the  preachers  was 
praying  in  a  very  expressive  manner,  that  if  God  were 
about  to  take  away  their  father  to  his  eternal  rest,  he 
25 


290 


LIFE  OF  THE 


would  be  pleased  to  continue  and  increase  his  blessing 
upon  the  doctrine  and  discipline  which  he  had  long  made 
his  servant  the  means  of  propagating  and  establishinp'  in 
the  world  ;  such  a  degree  of  fervour  accompanied  his  loud 
Amen,  as  was  every  way  expressive  of  his  soul's  being 
engaged  in  the  answer  of  the  petitions.  On  rising  from 
their  knees,  he  took  hold  of  all  their  hands,  and,  with  the 
utmost  placidness,  saluted  them,  and  said,  '  Farewell, 
farewell.' 

"  A  little  after,  a  person  coming  in,  he  strove  to  speak, 
but  could  not.  Finding  they  could  not  understand  him, 
he  paused  a  little,  and  then,  with  all  the  remaining  strength 
he  had,  cried  out.  The  best  of  all  is,  God  is  with  us ;  and, 
soon  after,  lifting  up  his  dying  arm  in  token  of  victory,  and 
raising  his  feeble  voice  with  a  holy  triumph  not  to  be  ex- 
pressed, he  again  repeated  the  heart-reviving  words.  The 
best  of  all  is,  God  is  with  us.  Being  told  that  his  brother's 
widow  was  come,  he  said,  'He  giveth  his  servants  rest.' 
He  thanked  her,  as  she  pressed  his  hand,  and  affection- 
ately endeavoured  to  kiss  her.  On  his  lips  being  wetted, 
he  said,  '  We  thank  thee,  O  Lord,  for  these  and  all  thy 
mercies  :  bless  the  Chm-ch  and  king ;  and  grant  us  truth 
and  peace,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  for  ever  and 
ever  !'  At  another  time  he  said,  '  He  causeth  his  servants 
to  lie  down  in  peace.'  Then  pausing  a  little,  he  cried. 
.  'The  clouds  drop  fatness!'  and  soon  after,  The  Lord  is 
with  us,  the  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge  !'  He  then  called 
those  present  to  prayer :  and  though  he  was  greatly  ex- 
hausted,  he  appeared  still  more  fervent  in  spirit.  These 
exertions  were,  however,  too  much  for  his  feeble  frame ; 
and  most  of  the  night  following,  though  he  often  attempted 
to  repeat  the  psalm  before  mentioned,  he  could  only  utter, 
'  I'll  prais3 — I'll  praise  1' 

"  On  Wednesday  morning  the  closing  scene  drew  near, 
Mr.  Bradford,  his  faithful  friend,  prayed  with  him,  and  the 
last  words  lie  was  heard  to  articulate  were,  'Farewell!' 
A  few  minutes  before  ten,  while  several  of  his  friends  were 
kneeling  around  his  bed,  without  a  lingering  groan,  this 
man  of  God,  this  beloved  pastor  of  thousands,  entered  into 
the  joy  of  his  Lord. 

"  He  was  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age,  had  been 
sixty-five  years  in  the  ministry  ;  and  the  preceding  pages 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


291 


will  be  a  lasting  memorial  of  his  uncommon  zeal,  diligence, 
and  usefulness,  in  his  Master's  work,  for  more  than  half  a 
century.  His  death  was  an  admirable  close  to  so  laborious 
and  useful  a  life. 

"  At  the  desire  of  many  of  his  friends  his  corpse  was 
placed  in  the  new  chapel,  and  remained  there  the  day 
before  his  interment.  His  face  during  that  time  had  a 
heavenly  smile  upon  it,  and  a  beauty  which  was  admired 
by  all  that  saw  it. 

March  the  9th  was  the  day  appointed  for  his  interment. 
The  preachers  then  in  London  requested  that  Dr.  White- 
head should  deliver  the  funeral  discourse ;  and  the  execu- 
tors afterward  approved  of  the  appointment.  The  intention 
was  to  carry  the  corpse  into  the  chapel,  and  place  it  in  a 
raised  situation  before  the  pulpit  during  the  service.  But 
the  crowds  which  came  to  see  the  body  while  it  lay  in  the 
coffin,  both  in  the  private  house,  and  especially  in  the  chapel 
the  day  before  his  funeral,  were  so  great,  that  his  friends 
were  apprehensive  of  a  tumult,  if  they  should  adopt  the 
plan  first  intended.  It  was  therefore  resolved,  the  evening 
before,  to  bury  him  between  five  and  six  in  the  morning. 
Though  the  time  of  notice  to  his  friends  was  short,  and 
the  design  itself  was  spoken  of  with  great  caution,  yet  a 
considerable  number  of  persons  attended  at  that  early  hour. 
The  late  Rev.  Mr.  Richardson,  who  now  lies  with  him  in 
the  same  vault,  read  the  funeral  service  in  a  manner  that 
made  it  peculiarly  affecting.  When  he  came  to  that  part 
of  it,  '  Forasmuch  as  it  hath  pleased  almighty  God  to  take 
unto  himself  the  soul  of  our  dear  brother,^  &c,  he  substi- 
tuted, with  the  most  tender  emphasis,  the  epithet  father, 
instead  of  brothei;  which  had  so  powerful  an  eftect  on  the 
congregation,  that  from  silent  tears  they  seemed  universally 
to  burst  out  into  loud  weeping. 

INSCRIPTION  ON   HIS  COFFIN. 

JOHANNES  WESLEV,  A.  M. 
Olim  See.  Coll.  Lin.  Oxon. 
Ob.  2do.  die  Maitii,  1791. 
An.  ML  88* 

*  "John  Wesley,  Mister  of  Arts,  formerly  Fellow  of  Lincoln 
College,  Oxford,  died  on  the  second  day  of  March,  1791,  in  the 
eighly-eighth  year  of  his  age." 


292 


LIFZ  OF  THE 


"  The  discoiu-se  by  Dr.  Whitehead  was  delivered  in  the 
chapel  at  the  hour  appointed  in  the  forenoon,  to  an  asto- 
nishing  multitude  of  people ;  among  whom  were  many 
ministers  of  the  Gospel,  both  of  the  Establishment  and 
Dissenters.  The  audience  was  still  and  solemn  as  night ; 
and  all  seemed  to  carry  away  with  them  enlarged  views 
of  Mr.  Wesley's  character,  and  serious  impressions  of  the 
importance  of  religion." 

The  following  is  the  inscription  on  the  marble  tablet 
erected  to  his  memory,  in  the  chapel,  City  Road  : — 

Sacvtti  to  tl)e  jJHemorB 
Of  the  Rev.  JOHN  WESLEY,  M.  A. 
Sometime  Fellow  of  Lincoln  College,  Oxford 
A  Man  in  learning  and  sincere  Piety 
Scarcely  inferior  to  any ; 
In  Zeal,  Ministerial  Labours,  and  extensive  Usefulness, 
Superior,  perhaps,  to  all  Men, 
Since  the  days  of  St.  Paul. 
Regardless  of  Fatigue,  personal  Danger,  and  Disgrace, 
He  went  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges, 
Calling  Sinners  to  Repentance, 
And  Publishing  the  Gospel  of  Peace. 
He  was  the  Founder  of  the  Methodist  Societies, 
And  the  chief  Promoter  and  Patron 
Of  the  Plan  of  Itinerant  Preaching, 
Which  he  extended  through  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
The  West  Indies,  and  America, 
With  unexampled  Success. 
He  was  born  the  17th  of  June,  1703  ; 
And  died  the  2d  of  March,  1791, 
In  sure  and  certain  hope  of  Eternal  Life, 
Through  the  Atonement  and  Mediation  of  a  Crucified  Saviour. 
He  was  sixty-five  Years  in  the  Ministry, 

And  fifty-two  an  Itinerant  Preacher : 
He  lived  to  see,  in  these  Kingboms  only. 
About  three  hundred  Itinerant, 
And  one  thousand  Local  Preachers, 
Raised  up  from  tlie  midst  of  his  own  People  ; 
And  eighty  thousand  Persons  in  the  Societies  under  his  care. 
His  name  will  be  evar  had  in  grateful  Remembrance 
By  all  who  rajoice  in  the  universal  Spread 
Of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
Soli  Deo  Gloria. 
[Glory  to  God  alone.] 

It  would  be  superfluous  in  closing  this  account  of  a  man 
at  once  so  extraordinary  and  so  truly  great,  for  me  to  a* 


REV,  JOHN  WKStEY. 


293 


tempt  a  delineation  of  his  character,  since  this  has  been 
done  so  ably  that  nothing  can  easily  be  added,  with  good 
effect.  1  shall  therefore  insert  Dr.  Whitehead's  own 
summary,  with  notices  by  others  who  were  personally 
acquainted  with  him.  Taken  together  they  transmit  an 
interesting  and  instructive  picture  of  the  founder  of 
Methodism,  to  future  ages. 
Dr.  Whitehead  observes : — 

"Some  persons  have  affected  to  insinuate  that  Mr. 
Wesley  was  a  man  of  slender  capacity  ;  but  certainly  with 
great  injustice.  His  apprehension  was  clear,  his  penetra- 
tion quick,  and  his  judgment  discriminative  and  sound  : 
of  which  his  controversial  writings,  and  his  celebrity  in  the 
stations  he  held  at  Oxford,  when  young,  are  sufficient 
proofs.  In  governing  a  large  body  of  preachers  and  peo 
pie,  of  various  habits,  interests,  and  principles,  with  asto 
nishing  calmness  and  regularity  for  many  years,  he  showed 
a  strong  and  capacious  mind,  that  could  comprehend  and 
combine  together  a  vast  variety  of  circumstances,  and 
direct  their  influence  through  the  great  body  he  governed. 
As  a  scholar,  he  certainly  held  a  conspicuous  rank.  He 
was  a  critic  in  the  Latin  and  Greek  classics ;  and  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  Hebrew,  and  with  several  modern 
tongues.  But  the  Greek  was  his  favourite  language,  in 
which  his  knowledge  was  extensive  and  accurate.  At 
college,  he  had  studied  Euclid,  Keil,  Sir  Isaac  Newton's 
Optics,  &;c  :  but  he  never  entered  far  into  the  more  ab- 
struse parts,  or  the  higher  branches  of  the  mathematics  ; 
finding  they  would  fascinate  his  mind,  absorb  his  attention, 
and  divert  him  from  the  pursuit  of  the  more  important 
objects  of  his  own  profession. 

"Natural  History  was  a  field  in  which  he  walked  at 
every  opportunity,  and  contemplated  with  infinite  pleasure 
the  wisdom,  the  power,  and  the  goodness  of  God,  in  the 
structure  of  natural  bodies,  and  in  the  various  instincts  and 
habits  of  the  animal  creation.  But  he  was  obliged  to  view 
these  wonderful  works  of  God,  in  the  labours  and  records 
of  others  ;  his  various  and  continual  employments  of  a 
higher  nature,  not  permitting  him  to  make  experiments  and 
observations  for  himself.*  ^ 

•  He,  liowever,  employed  much  leisure  time  whilst  at  college  in 
ilic  study  of  anatomy  and  medicine. 

25* 


294 


LIKE  OF  THE 


"  As  a  writer,  Mr.  Wesley  certainly  possessed  talents, 
sufficient  to  procure  him  considerable  reputation.  But 
he  did  not  write  for  fame  :  his  object  was  chiefly  to  instruct 
and  benefit  that  numerous  class  of  people  who  have  little 
learning,  little  money,  and  but  little  time  to  spare  for  read- 
ing. In  all  his  writings  he  constantly  kept  these  circum- 
stances in  view.  Content  with  doing  good,  he  used  no 
trappings  merely  to  please,  or  to  gain  applause.  The  dis- 
tinguishing character  of  his  style  is  brevity  and  perspicuity- 
He  never  lost  sight  of  the  rule  which  Horace  gives  : — 
'  Esi  brevitate  opus,  tit  currat.  senteiitia,  neii  se 

Impe(Uat  verbis  lassas  onerantibus  aurcs.' 
'  Concise  your  diction,  let  your  sonso  be  clear, 
Nor  with  a  weight  of  words  fatigue  thu  ear.' 

In  all  his  writings  his  words  are  well  chosen,  pure,  proper 
to  his  subject,  and  precise  in  their  meaning.  His  senten- 
ces  commonly  have  the  attributes  of  clearness,  unity,  and 
strength  :  and  whenever  he  took  time,  and  gave  the  neces- 
eary  attention  to  his  subject,  both  his  manner  of  treating  it, 
and  his  style,  show  the  hand  of  a  master.* 

"  The  following  is  a  just  character  of  Mr.  Wesley  as  a 
preacher :  '  His  attitude  in  the  pulpit  was  graceful  and 
easy  ;  his  action  calm  and  natural,  yet  pleasing  and  expres- 
sive :  his  voice  not  loud,  but  clear  and  manly  :  his  style 
neat,  simple,  and  perspicuous  ;  and  admirably  adapted  to 
the  capacity  of  his  hearers.  His  discourses,  in  point  of 
composition,  were  extremely  different  on  different  occa- 
sions. When  he  gave  himself  sufficient  time  for  prepara- 
tion, he  succeeded ;  but  when  he  did  not,  he  frequently 
failed.'  It  was  indeed  manifest  to  his  friends,  for  many 
years  before  he  died,  that  his  employments  were  too  many, 
and  that  he  preached  too  often,  to  appear  with  the  same 
advantage  at  all  times  in  the  pulpit.  His  sermons  were 
always  short :  he  was  seldom  more  than  half  an  hour  in 
delivering  a  discourse,  sometimes  not  so  long.  His  sub- 
jects were  judiciously  chosen ;  instructive  and  interesting  to 
the  audience,  and  well  adapted  to  gain  attention  and  warm 
the  heart. 

*  His  TroLitise  on  Original  Sin  ;  his  Appeals,  and  soino  of  his 
Sermons,  are  instances  finished  and  careful  composition  ;  and  uro 
equally  to  be  admired  for  clearness  of  method,  and  the  force  of  many 
passages  which  are  truly  eloquent. 


REV.  JOHN  WRSLRr. 


295 


"  The  labours  of  Mr.  Wesley  in  the  work  of  the  minis- 
tiy,  for  fifty  years  together,  were  without  precedent. 
During  this  period,  he  travelled  about  four  thousand  five 
hundred  miles  every  year,  one  year  with  another  chicHy 
on  horseback.  It  had  been  impossible  for  him  to  accom- 
plish this  almost  incredible  degree  of  exertion,  without 
great  punctuality  and  care  in  the  management  of  his  time. 
He  bad  stated  hours  for  every  purpose  :  and  his  only  re- 
laxation was  a  change  of  employment.  His  rules  were 
like  the  laws  of  the  Modes  and  Persians,  absolute  and  irre- 
vocable. He  had  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  reading  and  study, 
and  every  literary  man  knows  how  apt  this  passion  is  to 
make  him  encroach  on  the  time  which  ought  te  be  em- 
ployed in  other  duties:  he  had  a  high  relish  for  conversa- 
tion, especially  with  pious,  learned,  and  sensible  men  :  but 
whenever  the  hour  came  when  he  was  to  set  out  on  a  jour- 
ney,  he  instantly  quitted  the  company  with  which  he  might 
be  engaged,  without  any  apparent  reluctance.  For  fifty- 
two  years,  or  upward,  he  generally  delivered  two,  frequently 
three  or  four,  sermons  in  a  day.  But  calculating  only  two 
sermons  a  day,  and  allowing,  as  a  writer  of  his  life  has 
done,  fifty  annually  for  extraordinary  occasions,  the  whole 
number  of  sermons  he  preached  during  this  period  will  be 
forty  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty.  To  these  must  be 
added,  an  infinite  number  of  exhortations  to  the  societies 
after  preaching,  and  in  other  occasional  meetipgs,  at  which 
he  assisted. 

"  In  social  life,  Mr.  Wesley  was  lively  and  conversa 
lional.  He  had  the  talent  of  making  himself  exceedingly 
agreeable  in  company  :  and  having  been  much  accustomed 
to  society,  the  rules  of  good  breeding  were  habitual  to  him. 
The  abstraction  of  a  scholar  did  not  appear  in  his  beha- 
viour; but  he  was  attentive  and  polite.  He  spoke  a  good 
deal  where  he  saw  it  was  expected,  which  was  almost  always 
the  case  wherever  he  visited.  Having  seen  much  of  tlie 
world  in  his  travels,  and  read  more,  his  mind  was  stored 
with  an  infinite  number  of  anecdotes  and  observations : 
and  the  manner  in  which  he  related  them  was  no  inconsi- 
dcrable  addition  to  the  entertainment  and  instruction  they 
afforded.  It  was  impossible  to  be  long  in  his  company, 
either  in  public  or  private,  without  partaking  of  his  placid 
cheerfulness ;  which  was  not  abated  by  the  infirmities  of 


296 


LIFK  OF  THE 


age,  or  the  approach  of  death ;  but  was  as  conspicuous  at 
fourscore  and  seven,  as  at  one  and  twenty. 

"  A  remarkable  feature  in  Mr.  Wesley's  character,  was 
his  placability.  Having  an  active  penetrating  mind,  his 
temper  was  naturally  quick,  and  even  tending  to  sharpness. 
The  influence  of  religion,  and  the  constant  habit  of  patient 
thinking,  had  in  a  great  measure  corrected  this  disposition. 
In  general  he  preserved  an  air  of  sedateness  and  tranquilli- 
ty,  which  formed  a  striking  contrast  to  the  liveliness  con- 
spicuous in  all  his  actions.  Persecution,  abuse,  and  injury, 
he  bore  from  strangers,  not  only  without  anger,  but  witiiout 
any  apparent  emotion  ;  and  what  he  said  of  himself  was 
strictly  true,  that  he  had  a  great  facility  in  forgiving  inju- 
ries. Submission,  on  the  part  of  the  offender,  presently 
disarmed  his  resentment,  and  he  would  treat  him  with  great 
kindness  and  cordiality.  No  man  was  ever  more  free  from 
jealousy  or  susi)icion  than  Mr.  Wesley,  or  laid  himself 
more  open  to  the  impositions  of  others.  Though  his  con- 
fidence was  often  abused,  and  circumstances  sometimes 
took  place  which  would  have  made  almost  any  other  man 
suspicious,  yet  he  suspected  no  one ;  nor  was  it  easy  to 
convince  him  that  any  one  had  intentionally  deceived  him ; 
and  when  facts  had  demonstrated  that  this  was  actually  the 
case,  he  would  allow  no  more  than  that  it  was  so  in  that 
single  instance.  If  the  person  acknowledged  his  fault,  he 
believed  him  sincere,  and  would  trust  him  again.  If  we 
view  this  temper  of  his  mind  in  connection  with  the  circum- 
stance that  his  most  private  papers  lay  open  to  the  inspec- 
tion of  those  constantly  about  him,  it  will  afford  as  strong 
a  proof  as  can  well  be  given,  of  the  integrity  of  his  own 
mind  ;  and  that  he  was  at  the  farthest  distance  from  any 
intention  to  deceive,  or  impose  upon  others. 

"The  temperance  of  Mr.  Wesley  was  extraordinary. 
When  at  college  he  carried  this  so  far,  that  his  friends 
thought  him  blamable.  But  he  never  imposed  upon  others 
the  same  degree  of  rigour  he  exercised  upon  himself  He 
only  said,  I  must  be  the  best  judge  of  what  is  hurtful  or 
beneficial  to  me.  Among  other  tilings,  he  was  remarkable 
for  moderation  in  sleep  ;  and  his  notion  of  it  cannot  be 
better  explained  than  in  his  own  words.  Healthy  men, 
says  he,  '  require  about  six  hours'  sleep  ;  healthy  women, 
a  little  above  seven,  in  four  and  twenty.  If  any  one  desires 


REV.  JOHN  WE9LKY. 


297 


to  know  exactly  what  quantity  of  sleep  his  own  constitution 
requires,  he  may  very  easily  make  the  experiment,  which  I 
made  about  sixty  years  ago.  I  then  waked  every  night 
about  twelve  or  one,  and  lay  awake  for  some  time.  I 
readily  concluded,  that  this  arose  from  my  being  in  bed 
longer  than  nature  required.  To  be  satisfied,  I  procured 
an  alarum,  which  waked  me  the  next  morning  at  seven, 
(nearly  an  hour  eariier  than  I  rose  the  day  before,)  yet 
I  lay  awake  again  at  night.  The  second  morning  I  rose 
at  six  ;  but  notwithstanding  this,  I  lay  awake  the  second 
night.  The  third  morning  I  rose  at  five  ;  but,  neverthe- 
less, I  lay  awake  the  third  night.  The  fourth  morning  I 
rose  at  four,  as,  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  have  done  ever 
since  :  and  I  lay  awake  no  more.  And  I  do  not  now  lie 
awake,  taking  the  year  round,  a  quarter  of  an  hour  toge- 
ther in  a  month.  By  the  same  experiment,  rising  earlier 
and  earlier  every  morning,  may  any  one  find  how  much 
sleep  he  wants.' 

"  It  must,  however,  be  observed,  that,  for  many  years 
before  his  death,  Mr.  Wesley  slept  more  or  less  during  the 
day  ;  and  his  great  readiness  to  fall  asleep  at  any  time 
when  fatigued,  was  a  considerable  means  of  keeping  up 
his  strength,  and  enabling  him  to  go  through  so  much 
labour.  He  never  could  endure  to  sleep  on  a  soft  bed. 
Even  in  the  latter  part  of  life,  when  the  infirmities  of  age 
pressed  upon  him,  his  whole  conduct  was  at  the  greatest 
distance  from  softness  or  effeminacy. 

"  A  writer  of  Mr.  Wesley's  Life,  from  whom  some 
observations  respecting  his  general  character  have  already 
been  taken,  has  farther  observed,  Perhaps  the  most  chari- 
table man  in  England  was  Mr.  Wesley.  His  Uberality  to 
the  poor  knew  no  bounds  but  an  empty  pocket.  He  gave 
away,  not  merely  a  certain  part  of  his  income,  but  all  that 
he  had  :  his  own  wants  provided  for,  he  devoted  all  the  rest 
to  the  necessities  of  others.  He  entered  upon  this  good 
work  at  a  very  early  period.  We  are  told,  that,  '  when  he 
had  thirty  pounds  a  year,  he  lived  on  twenty- eight,  and 
gave  away  forty  shillings.  The  next  year,  receiving  sixty 
pounds,  he  still  lived  on  twenty-eight,  and  gave  away  two 
and  thirty.  The  third  year  he  received  ninety  pounds,  and 
gave  away  sixty-two.  Thp  fourth  year  he  received  one 
hundred  and  twenty  pounds.  Still  he  lived  on  twenty-eight, 


298 


LIFE   OK  THE 


and  gave  to  the  poor  ninety-tM'o.'  In  this  ratio  he  pro- 
ceeded  during  the  rest  of  his  life  ;  and,  in  the  course  of 
fifty  years,  it  has  been  supposed,  he  gave  away  between 
twenty  and  thirty  thousand  pounds  ;*  a  great  part  of  which, 
most  other  men  would  have  put  out  at  interest,  upon  good 
security. 

"  In  the  distribution  of  his  money,  Mr.  Wesley  was  as 
disinterested  as  he  was  charitable.  He  had  no  regard  to 
family  connections,  nor  even  to  the  wants  of  the  preachers 
who  laboured  with  him,  in  preference  to  strangers.  He 
knew  that  these  had  some  friends ;  and  he  thought  that  the 
poor  destitute  stranger  might  have  none,  and  therefore  had 
the  first  claim  on  his  liberality.  When  a  trifling  legacy  has 
been  paid  him,  he  has  been  known  to  dispose  of  it  in  some 
charitable  way  before  he  slept,  that  it  might  not  remain  his 
own  property  for  one  night.  He  often  declared  that  his 
own  hands  should  be  his  executors  ;  and  though  he  gained 
all  he  could  by  his  publications,  and  saved  all  he  could, 
not  wasting  so  much  as  a  sheet  of  paper ;  yet,  by  gi-ving  all 
he  could,  he  was  preserved  from  laying  up  treasures  iqjon 
earth.  He  had  said  in  print,  that,  if  he  died  worth  more 
than  ten  pounds,  independent  of  his  books,  and  the  arrears 
of  his  fellowship,  which  he  tlien  held,  he  would  give  the 
world  leave  to  call  liini  '  a  thief  and  a  robber.'  This 
declaration,  made  in  the  integrity  of  his  heart,  and  the 
height  of  his  zeal,  laid  him  under  some  inconveniences 
afterward,  from  circumstances  which  he  could  not  at  that 
time  foresee.  Yet  in  this,  as  all  his  friends  expected,  lie 
literally  kept  his  word,  as  far  as  human  foresight  could 
reach.  His  chaise  and  horses,  his  clothes,  and  a  few  trifles 
of  that  kind,  were  all,  his  books  excepted,  that  he  left  at 
his  death.  Whatever  might  be  the  value  of  his  books,  this 
altered  not  the  case,  as  they  were  placed  in  the  hands  of 
trustees,  and  the  profits  arising  from  the  sale  of  them  were 
to  be  applied  to  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  conference  for 
public  purposes;  reserving  only  a  few  legacies  and  a  rent 
charge  of  eighty-five  pounds  a  year  to  be  paid  to  his 
brother's  widow,  which  was  in  fact  a  debt,  in  consideration 
for  the  copy-right  of  his  brother's  hymns. 

"Among  the  other  excellencies  of  Mr.  Wesley,  his  mo 

*  Money  chiefly  arising  from  t\\S  constant  and  large  sale  of  his 
writings,  and  the  works  he  abridged. 


HEV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


299 


deration  in  controversy  deserves  to  be  noticed.  Writers 
of  controversy  too  often  forget,  that  their  own  character  is 
intimately  connected  with  the  manner  in  which  they  treat 
others :  and  if  they  have  no  regard  for  their  opponents, 
they  ought  to  have  some  respect  for  themselves.  When 
a  writer  becomes  personal  and  abusive,  it  affords  a  fair 
presumption  against  his  arguments,  and  tends  to  put  his 
readers  on  their  guard.  Most  of  Mr.  Wesley's  opponents 
were  of  this  description ;  their  railing  was  much  more 
violent  than  their  reasons  were  cogent.  Mr.  Wesley  kept 
his  temper,  and  wrote  like  a  Christian,  a  gentleman,  and 
a  scholar.  He  might  have  taken  the  words  of  the  excellent 
Hooker,  as  a  motto  to  his  polemical  tracts, '  To  your  rail- 
ing, I  say  nothing ;  for  your  reasons  take  what  follows.' 
He  admired  the  temper  in  which  Mr.  Law  wrote  contro- 
versy  :  only  in  some  instances  Mr.  Law  shows  a  contempt 
for  his  opponents,  which  Mr.  Wesley  thought  highly 
improper." 

To  these  remarks  of  Dr.  Whitehead  may  be  added  two 
or  three  sketches  of  Mr.  Wesley's  character  drawn  up  by 
different  persons,  and  printed  soon  after  his  death.  The 
first  is  anonymous  : — 

"  Now  that  Mr.  John  Wesley  has  finished  his  course 
upon  earth,  I  may  be  allowed  to  estimate  his  character, 
and  the  loss  the  world  has  sustained  by  his  death.  Upon 
a  fair  account,  it  appears  to  be  such,  as  not  only  annihilates 
all  the  reproaches  that  have  been  cast  upon  him  ;  but  such 
as  does  honour  to  mankind,  at  the  same  time  that  it  re- 
proaclies  thcin.  His  natural  and  acquired  abilities  were 
both  ol  the  hiirhcst  rank.  His  apprehension  was  lively  and 
distini'f;  his  Iparning  fxtensivo.  His  judgment,  though  not 
infallible,  was.  in  most  cases,  excellent.  His  mind  was 
steadfast  and  resolved  His  elocution  was  ready  and  clear, 
graceful  nnd  easy,  accurate  and  unaffected.  As  a  writer, 
his  style,  though  unstudied,  and  flowing  with  natural  ease, 
yet  for  accuracy  and  pers])icuity  was  such  as  may  vie  with 
the  best  writers  in  the  English  language.  Though  his 
temper  was  naturally  warm,  his  manners  were  gentle, 
simple,  and  uniform.  Never  were  such  happy  talents 
better  seconded  by  an  unrelenting  perseverance  in  those 
courses  which  his  singular  endowments,  and  his  zealous 
love  to  the  interests  of  mankind,  marked  out  for  him.  His 


800 


LIFE  OF  THE 


constitution  was  excellent :  and  never  was  a  constitution 
less  abused,  less  spared,  or  more  excellently  applied,  in 
an  exact  subservience  to  the  faculties  of  his  mind.  His 
labours  and  studies  were  wonderful.  The  latter  were  not 
confined  to  theology  only,  but  extended  to  every  subject 
that  tended  either  to  the  improvement  or  the  rational  enter- 
tainment of  the  mind.  If  we  consider  his  reading  by  itself, 
his  writings  and  his  other  labours  by  themselves,  any  one 
of  them  will  appear  sufficient  to  have  kept  a  person  of 
ordinary  application  busy  during  his  Whole  life.  In  short, 
the  transactions  of  his  life  could  never  have  been  perform- 
ed, without  the  utmost  exertion  of  two  qualities,  which 
depended,  not  upon  his  capacity,  but  on  the  uniform  stead- 
fastness of  his  resolution.  These  were  inflexible  temper- 
ance, and  unexampled  economy  of  time.  In  these  he  was 
a  pattern  to  the  age  he  lived  in  ;  and  an  example,  to  what 
a  surprising  extent  a  man  may  render  himself  useful  in  his 
generation,  by  temperance  and  punctuality.  His  friends 
and  followers  have  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  the  name 
of  Methodist,  which  he  has  entailed  upon  them  :  as,  for  an 
uninterrupted  course  of  years,  he  has  given  the  world  an 
instance  of  the  possibility  of  living  without  wasting  a 
single  hour  ;  and  of  the  advantage  of  a  regular  distribution 
of  time,  in  discharging  the  important  duties  and  purposes 
of  life.  Few  ages  have  more  needed  such  a  public  testi- 
mony to  the  value  of  time  ;  and  perhaps  none  have  had  a 
more  conspicuous  example  of  the  perfection  to  which  the 
improvement  of  it  may  be  carried. 

"  As  a  minister,  his  labours  were  unparalleled,  and 
such  as  nothing  could  have  supported  him  under  but  the 
warmest  zeal  for  the  doctrine  he  taught,  and  for  the 
eternal  interests  of  mankind.  He  studied  to  be  gentle, 
yet  vigilant  and  faithful  toward  all.  He  possessed  himself 
in  patience,  and  preserved  himself  unprovoked,  nay,  even 
unruffled,  in  the  midst  of  persecution,  reproach,  and  ail 
manner  of  abuse  both  of  his  person  and  name.  But  let 
his  own  works  praise  him.  He  now  enjoys  the  fruits  of 
his  labours,  and  that  praise  which  he  sought,  not  of  men, 
but  of  God. 

"  To  finish  the  portrait.  Examine  the  general  tenor  of 
his  life,  and  it  will  be  found  self-evidently  inconsistent 
with  his  being  a  slave  to  any  one  passion  or  pursuit,  that 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEV. 


301 


can  Sx  a  blemish  on  his  character.  Of  what  use  were  the 
accumulation  of  wealth  to  him,  who,  through  his  whole 
course,  never  allowed  himself  to  taste  the  repose  of  indo- 
lence, or  even  of  the  common  indulgence  in  the  use  of  the 
necessaries  of  life  ?  Free  from  the  partiality  of  any  party, 
the  sketcher  of  this  excellent  character,  with  a  friendly 
tear,  pays  it  as  a  just  tribute  to  the  memory  of  so  great 
and  good  a  man,  who,  when  alive  was  his  friend." 
Of  Mr.  Wesley,  Mr.  Alexander  Knox  says  : — 
"  Very  lately,  I  had  an  opportunitj-,  for  some  days  to- 
gether, of  observing  Mr.  Wesley  with  attention.  I  endea- 
voured  to  consider  him,  not  so  much  with  the  eye  of  a 
friend,  as  with  the  impartiality  of  a  philosopher ;  and  I 
must  declare,  every  hour  I  spent  in  his  company  afforded 
me  fresh  reasons  for  esteem  and  veneration.  So  fine  an 
old  man  I  never  saw.  The  happiness  of  his  mind  beamed 
forth  in  his  countenance.  Every  look  showed  how  fully 
he  enjoyed  '  the  gay  remembrance  of  a  life  well  spent : 
and  wherever  he  went,  he  diffused  a  portion  of  his  own 
felicity.  Easy  and  affable  in  his  demeanour,  he  accommo- 
dated himself  to  every  sort  of  company,  and  showed  how 
happily  the  most  finished  courtesy  may  be  blended  with 
the  most  perfect  piety.  In  his  conversation,  we  might  be 
at  a  loss  whether  to  admire  most,  his  fine  classical  taste, 
his  extensive  knowledge  of  men  and  things,  or  his  over- 
flowing goodness  of  heart.  While  the  grave  and  serious 
were  charmed  with  his  wisdom,  his  sportive  sallies  of 
innocent  mirth  delighted  even  the  young  and  thoughtless ; 
and  both  saw,  in  his  uninterrupted  cheerfulness,  the  excel- 
lency of  true  religion.  No  cynical  remarks  on  the  levity 
of  youth  imbittei-ed  his  discourse ;  no  applausive  retro- 
spect to  past  times  marked  his  present  discontent.  In  him, 
even  old  age  appeared  delightful,  like  an  evening  without 
a  cloud  ;  and  it  was  impossible  to  observe  him  without 
wishing  fervently,  '  May  my  latter  end  be  like  his !' 

"  But  I  find  myself  unequal  to  the  task  of  delineating 
such  a  character.  What  I  have  said  may  to  some  appear 
as  panegyric  ;  but  there  are  numbers,  and  those  of  taste; 
and  discernment  too,  who  can  bear  witness  to  the  truth, 
though  by  no  means  to  the  perfectness,  of  the  sketch  I 
have  attempted.  With  such  I  have  been  frequently  in  his 
company  ;  and  every  one  of  them,  I  am  persuaded,  would 


302 


Lirr.  or  the 


subscribe  to  all  I  have  said.  For  my  own  part,  I  never 
was  so  happy  as  while  with  him,  and  scarcely  ever  felt 
more  poignant  regret  than  at  parting  from  him  ;  for,  well 
I  knew, '  I  ne'er  should  look  upon  his  like  again.'" 

The  following  account  of  Mr.  Wesley  appeared  soon 
after  his  death  in  a  very  respectable  publication;  and 
was  afterward  inserted  in  Woodfall's  Diary,  London,  June 
17,  1791  :— 

"  His  indefatigable  zeal  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty  has 
been  long  witnessed  by  the  world ;  but,  as  mankind  are 
not  always  inclined  to  put  a  generous  construction  on  the 
exertions  of  singular  talents,  his  motives  w'ere  imputed  to 
the  love  of  popularity,  ambition,  and  lucre.  It  now  ap- 
pears  t^at  he  was  actuated  by  a  disinterested  regard  to  the 
immortal  interests  of  mankind.  He  laboured,  and  studied, 
and  preached,  and  wrote,  to  propagate  what  he  beheved  to 
be  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  The  intervals  of  these  engage- 
ments were  employed  in  governing  and  regulating  the 
concerns  of  his  numerous  societies  ;  assisting  the  neces- 
sities, solving  the  difficulties,  and  soothing  the  atflictions 
of  his  hearers.  He  observed  so  rigid  a  temperance,  and 
allowed  himself  so  little  repose,  that  he  seemed  to  be  above 
the  infirmities  of  nature,  and  to  act  independent  of  the  earth- 
ly tenement  he  occupied.  The  recital  of  the  occurrences  of 
every  day  of  his  life  would  be  the  greatest  encomium. 

"  Had  he  loved  wealth,  he  might  have  accumulated  it 
without  bounds.  Had  he  been  fond  of  power,  his  influ- 
ence would  have  been  worth  courting  by  any  party.  I  do 
not  say  he  was  without  ambition ;  he  had  that  which 
Christianity  need  not  blush  at,  and  which  virtue  is  proud 
to  confess.  I  do  not  mean  that  which  is  gratified  by 
splendour  and  large  possessions ;  but  that  which  com- 
mands the  hearts  and  affections,  the  homage  and  gratitude, 
of  thousands.  For  him  they  felt  sentiments  of  veneration, 
only  inferior  to  those  which  they  paid  to  Heaven  :  to  him 
they  looked  as  their  father,  their  benefactor,  their  guide  to 
glory  and  immortality :  for  him  they  fell  prostrate  before 
God,  with  prayers  and  tears,  to  spare  his  doom,  and  pro- 
long  his  stay.  Such  a  recompense  as  this  is  sufficient  to 
repay  the  toils  of  the  longest  life.  Short  of  this,  greatness 
is  contemptible  impotence.  Befoi-e  this,  lofty  prelates 
bow,  and  princes  hide  their  diminished  heads. 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


303 


"  His  zeal  was  not  a  transient  blaze,  but  a  steady  and 
constant  flame.  The  ardour  of  his  spirit  was  neither 
damped  by  difficulty,  nor  subdued  by  age.  This  was 
ascribed  by  himself  to  the  power  of  Divine  grace  ;  by  the 
world,  to  enthusiasm.  Be  it  what  it  will,  it  is  what  philo- 
sophers must  envy,  and  infidels  respect ;  it  is  that  which 
gives  energy  to  the  soul,  and  without  which  there  can  be 
no  greatness  or  heroism. 

"  Why  should  we  condemn  that  in  religion,  which  we 
applaud  in  every  other  profession  and  pursuit  ?  He  had  a 
vigour  and  elevation  of  mind,  which  nothing  but  the  belief 
of  the  Divine  favour  and  presence  could  inspire.  This 
threw  a  lustre  round  his  infirmities,  changed  his  bed  of 
sickness  into  a  triumphal  car,  and  made  his  exit  resemble 
an  apotheosis  rather  than  a  dissolution. 

"  He  was  qualified  to  excel  in  every  branch  of  litera- 
tui-e :  he  was  well  versed  in  the  learned  tongues,  in 
metaphysics,  in  oratory,  in  logic,  in  criticism,  and  every 
requisite  of  a  Christian  minister.  His  style  was  nervous, 
clear,  and  manly  ;  his  preaching  was  pathetic  and  persua- 
sive ;  his  journals  are  artless  and  interesting ;  and  his 
compositions  and  compilations  to  promote  knowledge  and 
piety,  were  almost  innumerable. 

"  I  do  not  say  he  was  without  faults,  or  above  mistakes ; 
but  they  were  lost  in  the  multitude  of  his  excellencies  and 
virtues. 

"  To  gain  the  admiration  of  an  ignorant  and  supei-stitious 
age,  requires  only  a  little  artifice  and  address  ;  to  stand 
the  test  of  these  times,  when  all  pretensions  to  sanctity  are 
stigmatized  as  hypocrisy,  is  a  proof  of  genuine  piety  and 
real  usefulness.  His  great  object  was,  to  revive  the  obso- 
lete doctrines  and  extinguished  spirit  of  the  Church  of 
England  ;  and  they,  who  are  its  friends,  cannot  bo  his 
enemies.  Yet  for  this  he  was  treated  as  a  fanatic  and 
impostor,  and  exposed  to  every  species  of  slander  and  per- 
secution. Even  bishops  and  dignitaries  entered  the  lists 
against  him  ;  but  he  never  declined  the  combat,  and  gene- 
rally prove  dvictorious.  He  appealed  to  the  Homilies,  the 
Articles,  and  the  Scriptures,  ;is  vouchers  for  his  doctrine  ; 
and  they  who  could  not  decide  upon  the  merits  of  the 
controversy,  were  witnesses  of  the  effects  of  his  labours  ; 
and  they  judged  of  the  tree  by  its  fruit.    It  is  true,  lie  did 


304 


LIFE  OP  THE 


not  succeed  much  in  the  higher  walks  of  life ;  but  that 
impeached  his  cause  no  more,  than  it  did  that  of  the  first 
planters  of  the  Gospel.  However,  if  he  had  been  capable 
of  assuming  vanity  on  that  score,  he  might  have  ranked 
among  his  friends  some  persons  of  the  first  distinction, 
who  would  have  done  honour  to  any  party.  After  surviv- 
ing  almost  all  his  adversaries,  and  acquiring  respect  among 
those  who  were  the  most  distant  from  his  principles,  he  lived 
to  see  the  plant  he  had  reared,  spreading  its  branches  far  and 
wide,  and  inviting  not  only  these  kingdoms,  but  the  west- 
ern world,  to  repose  under  its  shade.  No  sect,  since  the 
first  ages  of  Christianity,  could  boast  a  founder  of  such 
extensive  talents  and  endowments.  If  he  had  been  a  can- 
didate for  literary  fame,  he  might  have  succeeded  to  his 
utmost  wishes  ;  but  he  sought  not  the  praise  of  man  ;  he 
regarded  learning  only  as  the  instrument  of  usefulness. 
The  great  purpose  of  his  life  was  doing  good.  For  this 
he  relinquished  all  honour  and  preferment ;  to  this  he 
dedicated  all  his  powers  of  body  and  mind ;  at  all  times 
and  in  all  places,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  by  gentle- 
ness, by  terror,  by  argument,  by  persuasion,  by  reason,  by 
interest,  by  every  motive  and  every  inducement,  he  strove, 
with  unwearied  assiduity,  to  turn  men  from  the  error  of 
their  ways,  and  awaken  them  to  virtue  and  religion.  To 
the  bed  of  sickness,  or  the  couch  of  prosperity  ;  to  the 
prison,  the  hospital,  the  house  of  mourning,  or  the  house 
of  feasting,  wherever  there  was  a  friend  to  serve,  or  a  soul 
to  save,  he  readily  repaired ;  to  administer  assistance  or 
advice,  reproof  or  consolation.  He  thought  no  office  too 
humiUating,  no  condescension  too  low,  no  undertaking  too 
arduous,  to  reclaim  the  meanest  of  God's  oflTspring.  The 
souls  of  all  men  were  equally  precious  in  his  sight,  and 
the  value  of  an  immortal  creature  beyond  all  estimation. 
He  penetrated  the  abodes  of  wretchedness  and  ignorance, 
to  rescue  the  profligate  from  perdition ;  and  he  communi- 
cated  the  light  of  life  to  those  who  sat  in  darkness  and  the 
shadow  of  death.  He  changed  the  outcasts  of  society 
into  useful  members ;  civilized  even  savages,  and  filled 
those  lips  with  prayer  and  praise  that  had  been  accustomed 
only  to  oaths  and  imprecations.  But  as  the  strongest 
religious  impressions  are  apt  to  become  languid  without 
discipline  and  practice,  he  divided  his  people  into  classes 


REV,  JOHN  WESLEY. 


soil 


^  and  bands,  according  to  their  attainments.  He  appointed 
frequent  meetings  for  prayer  and  conversation,  where  they 
gave  an  account  of  their  experience,  their  hopes  and  fears, 
their  joys  and  troubles  ;  by  which  means  they  were  united 
to  each  other,  and  to  their  common  profession.  They 
became  sentinels  upon  each  other's  conduct,  and  securities 
for  eacii  other's  character.  Thus  the  seeds  he  sowed 
sprang  up  and  flourished,  bearing  the  rich  fruits  of  every 
grace  and  virtue.  Thus  he  governed  and  preserved  his 
numerous  societies,  Avatching  their  improvement  with  a 
paternal  care,  and  encouraging  them  to  be  faithful  to  the 
end. 

"  But  I  will  not  attempt  to  draw  his  full  character,  nor 
to  estimate  the  extent  of  his  labours  and  services.  They 
will  be  best  known  when  he  shall  deliver  up  his  commis- 
sion into  the  hands  of  his  great  Master." 

The  following  is  a  description  of  Mr.  Wesley's  person  : — 

"The  figure  of  3Ir.  Wesley  was  remarkable.  His 
stature  was  low  ;  his  habit  of  body,  in  every  period  of  hfe, 
the  reverse  of  corpulent,  and  expressive  of  strict  temper- 
ance and  continual  exercise ;  and,  notwithstanding  his 
small  size,  his  step  was  firm,  and  his  appearance,  till  within 
a  few  years  of  his  death,  vigorous  and  muscular.  His 
face,  for  an  old  man,  was  one  of  the  finest  we  have  seen. 
A  clear,  smooth  forehead ;  an  aquiline  nose ;  an  eye,  the 
brightest  and  most  piercing  that  can  be  conceived  ;  and  a 
freshness  of  complexion,  scarcely  ever  to  be  found  at  his 
years,  and  expressive  of  the  most  perfect  health,  con- 
spired to  render  him  a  venerable  and  interesting  figure. 
Few  have  seen  him  without  being  struck  with  his  appear- 
ance  :  and  many,  who  had  been  greatly  prejudiced  against 
him,  have  been  known  to  cliangc  their  opinion  the  moment 
they  were  introduced  into  his  presence.  In  his  counte- 
nance and  demeanour,  there  was  a  cheerfulness  mingled 
with  gravity  ;  a  sprightliness,  which  was  the  natural  result 
of  an  unusual  flow  of  spirits,  and  yet  was  accompanied 
with  every  mark  of  the  most  serene  tranquillity.  His 
aspect,  particularly  in  profile,  had  a  strong  character  of 
acuteness  and  penetration. 

"  In  dress,  he  was  a  pattern  of  neatness  and  simplicity  : 
a  nari'ow  plaited  stock ;  a  coat,  with  a  small  upright  collar; 
no  buckles  at  his  knees ;  no  silk  or  velvet  in  any  part  of" 
26* 


306 


LIFE  OF  THE 


his  apparel ;  and  a  head  as  white  as  snow,  gave  an  idea  of  ^ 
something  primitive  and  apostoUc  ;  while  an  air  of  neat- 
ness  and  cleanliness  was  diffused  over  his  whole  person." 

CHAPTER  XV. 

A  FEW  miscellaneous  topics  remain  to  be  noticed.  One 
of  the  chief  reasons  why  full  and  willing  justice  has  not 
been  always  done  to  the  labours  of  Mr.  Wesley,  has 
doubtless  arisen  from  the  facts,  that  whatever  his  views 
might  be,  he  raised  up  a  people  who  in  his  life  time  formed 
a  religious  body  independent  of  the  Church,  whilst  yet  not 
nominally  separated  from  it ;  and  that  since  his  death, 
although  that  separation  does  not  affect  all  the  members, 
yet  the  great  mass  of  the  societies,  with  all  tiie  preachers, 
are  as  completely  separated  from  the  Establishment,  as 
any  body  of  professed  Dissenters.  That  a  strict  Church- 
man should  consider  this  as  a  great  counterbalance  to  the 
good  affected  by  Methodism  is  very  natural, — and  he  has 
a  right  to  his  opinions,  provided  he  holds  them  in  charity. 
Still,  however,  this  subject  is  so  frequently  dwelt  upon 
under  mistaken  and  imperfect  views,  that  it  demands  a  few 
additional  remarks. 

As  far  as  Mr.  Wesley's  character  is  concerned,  enougl'. 
has  been  said  to  show  the  sincerity  with  which  he  disa- 
vowed all  intention  of  separating  from  the  Churcli,  and  of 
making  his  people  separatists.  This,  certainly,  notwith- 
standing the  freedom  of  his  opinions  on  Church  govern- 
ment, cannot  be  charged  upon  him  in  the  early  period  of 
his  career  ;  and  although,  in  what  we  may  call  the  secon<l 
period,  he  saw  so  strong  a  tendency  to  separation  that  his 
fears  were  often  excited,  yet  he  may  surely  be  allowed  still 
to  have  proceeded  straight  forward,  with  perfect  honesty 
of  mind,  in  the  same  course,  with  more  of  hope  on  this 
subject,  than  of  fear.  Several  eminent  writers  of  the  Church 
party  have  thought,  that  even  modern  Methodism,  though 
existing  now  in  a  form  apparently  less  friendly  to  union, 
might  still  with  advantage  be  attached  to  the  Church,  and 
have  seen  but  little  dilRcully  in  the  project.  Why  then 
might  not  Mr.  Wesley,  even  after  his  societies  had  acquir- 
ed considerable  maturity,  still  hope  that  those  simple  institu- 
tions for  promoting  piety,  which  he  had  commenced,  might 


REV.  JOHN  WESLKY. 


307 


have  been  recognized  by  the  Church,  and  hoped  that  the 
spirit  of  religion,  revived  already  to  so  great  an  extent, 
might  still  farther  so  influence  the  members  of  the  Church 
and  its  clcrg}-,  as  to  dispose  them  to  view  his  societies  with 
more  cordiality  ?  He  took  care,  therefore,  and  all  his  prin- 
ciples and  feelings  favoured  the  caution,  that  no  obstacles 
should  be  placed  in  the  way  of  the  closest  connection  of 
his  societies  with  the  Establishment.  Their  services  were 
very  seldom  held  in  the  hours  of  her  public  service ;  the 
Methodists  formed  in  many  parishes  the  great  body  of  her 
communicants ;  thousands  of  them  died  in  her  communion ; 
and  the  preachers  were  not  ordinarily  permitted  to  admi- 
nister  either  of  the  sacraments  to  the  people  among  whom 
they  laboured.  There  can  be  no  charge,  therefore,  against 
his  sincerity  at  this  period,  any  more  than  in  the  first.  We 
may  think  his  hopes  to  have  been  without  any  foundation ; 
and  so  they  proved ;  and  the  idea  of  uniting  the  modern 
Methodists  to  the  Church  is  a  very  visionary  one,  but  has 
doubtless  been  maintained  by  several  Churchmen  with  great 
sincerity.  Separation  from  the  Church,  at  a  later  period 
of  Mr.  Wesley's  life,  was  certainly  anticipated.  That  must 
be  allowed  ;  but  an  enlightened  Churchman  ought  to  think 
that  Mr.  Wesley's  conduct  was  still  worthy  of  praise,  not 
of  censure ;  for  when  a  partial  separation  was  in  reality 
foreseen  as  probable,  it  had  no  sanction  from  him,  and  he 
appeared  determined  so  to  employ  his  influence  to  his  last 
breath,  that  if  separation  did  ensue,  it  should  assume  the 
mildest  form  possible,  and  be  deprived  of  all  feelings  of 
hostility.  His  example,  the  spirit  of  his  writings,  and  his 
advices  all  tended  to  this ;  and  tlie  flict  is,  that,  though 
Methodism  now  stands  in  a  different  relation  to  the  Esta- 
blishmcnt  than  in  the  days  of  Mr.  Wesley,  dissent  has  never 
been  formally  professed  by  the  body,  and  for  obviou;;)  rca- 
sons.  The  first  is,  that  the  separatiijn  of  the  greater  part 
of  the  society  from  the  Cliurch,  did  not  in  anv  great  degree 
result  from  the  princijiles  assumed  by  the  profesued  Dis- 
sentcrs,  and  which  are  usually  made  prominent  in  their 
discussions  on  the  subject  of  establishments ;  the  second, 
that  a  considerable  number  of  t\\c  Metiiodists  actually  con- 
tinue  in  the  communion  of  the  Church  of  England  to  this 
day ;  and  the  third,  that  to  leave  that  communion  is  not, 
in  any  sense,  a  condition  of  membership  with  us.  All  the 


308 


LIFE  OF  THE 


services  of  the.  Church  and  her  sacraments  may  be  observ- 
ed by  any  person  in  the  Wesleyan  societies  who  chooses  it, 
and  they  are  actually  observed  by  many. 

It  was  owing  to  these  cii'cumstances  that  Methodism  die 
not  rush  down,  but  gently  glided,  into  a  state  of  partia.- 
divisipn  from  the  Church ;  and  this,  by  neither  arousing 
party  passions,  nor  exciting  discussions  on  abstract  points 
of  Church  polity,  has  left  the  general  feeling  of  affection  to 
all  that  is  excellent  in  the  Establishment  unimpaii'ed.  No 
intemperate  attacks  upon  it  have  been  ever  sanctioned ; 
the  attendance  of  the  Methodists  upon  its  services  was 
never  discouraged  ;  and  it  is  surely  of  some  account  that 
a  vast  mass  of  people  throughout  the  country  have  been 
held  in  a  state  of  friendly  feeling  toward  a  clergy  who  have 
nevertheless  generally  treated  them  with  disdain  and  con- 
tumely, and  many  of  whom  have  zealously  employed  them- 
selves  in  nursing  feelings  of  bigoted  dislike  to  them  among 
their  friends  and  neighbours.  Yet  after  all,  the  prevalent 
sentiment  of  the  Methodists,  as  a  body,  toward  the  Esta- 
blishment has  been  that  of  friendship.  It  was  so,  when  the 
Church  was  in  a  lower  religious  state  than  it  is  at  present; 
and  its  more  recent  religious  improvement  has  not  dimi- 
nished the  feeling.  I  may  venture  to  say,  that  there  is  a 
warmer  regard  toward  the  Church  among  the  body  of  the 
Methodists  now,  than  there  was  in  the  days  of  Mr.  Wes- 
ley ;  although  there  v»'ere  then  more  Methodists  than  at  pre- 
sent who  professed  to  be  of  her  communion.  We  have  no 
respect  at  all  to  her  exclusive  claims  of  Divine  right,  or  her 
three  orders  of  ministers  ;  and  yet  have  no  objection  to  her 
episcopacy,  when  Scripturally  understood,  or  her  services. 
We  smile  at  the  claims  she  sometimes  assumes  to  be  the 
exclusive  instructress  of  the  people,  in  a  country  where  the 
statute  Jaw  has  given  them  the  right  to  be  taught  by  whom 
they  please,  and  as  explicitly  protects  dissent  as  conformi- 
ty ;  but  we  rejoice  that  she  has  great  influence  with  tiic 
mass  of  the  population,  whenever  that  influence  is  used  for 
the  promotion  of  true  religion  and  good  morals.  We  wish 
her  prosperity  and  perpetuity,  as  we  wish  all  other  Chris- 
tian Churches  ;  and  tlic  more  so,  as  we  recognize  in  her 
"the  mother  of  us  all,"  and  can  never  contemplate  without 
the  deepest  admiration  her  noble  army  of  confessors  and 
martyrs,  and  the  illustrious  train  of  her  divines,  whose 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEV. 


309 


writings  have  been,  and  continue  to  be,  the  light  of  Chris- 
tendom.  If  Churchmen  think  this  feeUng  of  any  import, 
ance,  let  them  reciprocate  it ;  and  though  the  formal  union 
of  which  some  .of  them  have  spoken  is  visionary,  a  still 
stronger  bond  of  friendship  might  be  established  ;  and  each 
might  thus  become  more  formidable  against  the  errors  and 
evils  of  the  times  ; — for  a  people  who  have  nearly  half  as 
many  places  of  worship  in  the  kingdom  as  there  are  parish 
churches,  cannot  be  without  influence. 

Nor  have  the  true  causes  which  led  to  the  separation  of 
the  Methodists  from  the  Church  been,  in  general,  rightly 
stated.  Some  of  the  violent  adherents  of  "  the  old  plan," 
as  it  was  called,  among  ourselves,  have,  ignorantly  or  in  a 
party  spirit,  attributed  this  to  the  ambition  and  intrigues  of 
the  preachers  ;  but  the  true  causes  were — that  the  clergy, 
generally,  did  not  preach  the  doctrines  of  their  own  Church 
and  of  the  reformation ;  and  that  many  of  them  did  not 
adorn  their  profession  by  their  lives.  It  may  be  added, 
that  in  no  small  number  of  cases,  the  clergy  were  the  perse- 
cutors  and  calumniators  of  the  Wesleyan  societies  ;  that 
the  sermons  in  the  churches  were  often  intemperate  at- 
tacks  upon  their  characters  and  opinions ;  and  that  the 
Methodists  were  frequently  regarded  as  intruders  at  the 
table  of  the  Lord,  rather  than  as  welcome  communicants. 
These  were  the  reasons  why,  long  before  Mr.  Wesley's 
death,  a  great  number  of  his  societies  were  anxious  to  have 
the  sacraments  from  the  hands  of  their  own  preachers, 
under  whose  ministry  they  were  instructed  and  edified,  in 
whose  characters  they  had  confidence,  and  with  respect  to 
whom  they  knew,  that  if  any  one  disgraced  his  profession, 
he  would  not  be  suffered  long  to  exercise  it. 

Such  were  the  true  causes  which  led  to  the  partial  sepa- 
ration  of  the  Methodist  Societies  from  the  communion  of 
the  Church,  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Wesley  ;  and  this  is  an 
answer  to  the  objection,  repeated  a  thousand  times,  that 
we  have  departed  from  Mr.  Wesley's  principles.  The 
fact  is,  that  though  full  relief  to  the  consciences  of  the  so- 
cieties  in  general  \vas  refused  by  Mr.  Wesley's  authority, 
yet  he  himself  w  as  obliged  to  allow  a  relaxation  from  his 
own  rule  in  London,  and  some  other  principal  towns,  by 
giving  the  Lord's  Supper  himself,  or  obtaining  pious  clergy- 
men to  administer  it  in  his  chapels.    After  his  death  it 


310 


LIFK  OF  THK 


was  out  of  the  power  of  the  conference,  had  they  not  felt 
the  force  of  the  reasons  urged  upon  them,  to  prevent  the 
administration  of  the  sacraments  to  the  people  by  their  own 
preachers.  Yet  in  the  controversy  which  this  subject  ex- 
cited,  speculative  principles  had  little  part.  The  question 
stood  on  plain  practical  grounds  : — Shall  the  societies  be 
obliged,  from  their  conscientious  scruples,  to  neglect  an 
ordinance  of  God  1  Or  shall  we  drive  them  to  the  Dissent- 
ers, whose  peculiar  doctrines  they  do  not  believe  ?  Or  shall 
we  under  certain  regulations  accede  to  their  wishes  ?  So 
far  from  Mr.  Wesley's  principles  and  views  having  lost  their 
influence  with  the  conference,  the  sacraments  were  forced 
upon  none,  and  recommended  to  none.  The  old  principles 
w^ere  held  as  fast  as  higher  duties  would  allow.  Many 
indeed  of  the  people,  and  some  of  the  preachers,  opposed 
even  these  concessions ;  but  the  plan  which  was  adopted 
to  meet  cases  of  conscientious  scruple,  and  yet  to  avoid 
encouraging  a  departure  from  the  primitive  system,  leaving 
every  individual  to  act  in  this  respect  as  he  was  persuaded 
in  his  own  mind,  and  receive  the  Lord's  Supper  at  church 
or  at  chapel,  was  at  length  by  both  parties  in  England  cor- 
dially acquiesced  in,  as  warranted  equally  by  principle  and 
by  prudence.  Assuredly  the  Chuixh  W'Ould  have  gained 
nothing  by  a  different  measure,  for  the  dissidents  would 
have  been  compelled  to  join  other  communions.  Had  the 
Church  been  provided  early  with  an  evangelical  and  a  holy 
ministry,  that  separation  would  not  have  taken  place  ;  for 
the  controversy  between  the  Church  and  the  Dissenters 
was  little  kown,  and  still  less  regarded  by  the  majority  of 
the  Methodist  Societies  at  that  time ;  and  the  case  is  not 
greatly  altered  at  the  present  day.  The  clergy  had  lost 
their  hold  upon  the  people  generally,  through  neglect ;  and 
that  revival  of  the  spirit  of  truth  and  holiness,  which  we 
are  now  so  happy  to  witness  among  them,  came  too  late 
to  prevent  the  results  just  stated. 

And  what  should  we  do  now,  if  we  were  disposed  to  re- 
vert  to  the  state  of  things  in  Mr.  Wesley's  time  ?  It  is  true 
we  should  more  rarely  meet  with  immoral  clergymen  ;  and 
so  that  part  of  the  case  would  be  relieved  as  a  matter  of 
conscience.  But  would  the  Methodist  Societies  meet  with 
friendly  clergymen ;  with  men  who  would  bear  with  so 
many  communicants,  in  addition  to  those  who  now  attend 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


811 


their  churches  ?  And  if  they  were  brought  to  attend  the 
services  of  their  parish  churches,  would  they  be  disposed 
long  to  hear  those  of  the  clergy  who  never  preach  the  doc- 
trines of  the  articles  of  their  own  Church  ? — or  those  who 
follow  some  great  names  of  the  present  day,  and  neologise 
as  far  as  decency  permits  ? — or  those  of  the  evangelical 
party,  whose  discourses  are  strongly  impregnated  with 
Calvinism  ? — or  those  who  place  their  speculations  on  the 
prophecies  among  the  means  of  grace  and  salvation  ?  Our 
people  would  neither  hear  such  clergymen  themselves,  nor 
could  they  conscientiously  train  up  their  families  to  listen 
to  what  they  believe  great  error ;  and  so  if  we  were  to 
go  back,  as  we  have  been  exhorted,  to  Mr.  Wesley's  first 
plan,  the  majority  of  our  people  would,  as  then,  neither 
attend  Church  nor  sacrament,  and  the  same  process 
would  have  to  be  repeated  again,  with  probably  less  peace- 
ful results. 

"  But '  great  evil'  has  resulted  to  the  Church  from  Me- 
thodism." This  has  been  often  said,  certainly  never 
substantiated  ;  and  this  defence  of  the  hostile  feeling  of 
many  Churchmen  toward  Mr.  Wesley  and  his  societies 
stands  upon  no  solid  ground.  On  the  contrary,  it  seems 
not  at  ail  difficult  to  make  it  plainly  appear  that  great 
good  has  resulted  to  the  Church,  as  well  as  to  the  nation. 
When  this  question  is  under  consideration  by  Churchmen, 
they  look  at  the  mere  fact  that  a  great  body  of  people 
have  been  raised  up,  as  they  say,  out  of  the  Church,  within 
ji  century  past,  excelling  in  number  almost,  if  not  entirely, 
the  whole  of  the  old  bodies  of  Dissenters ;  and  they  as- 
sume that  if  the  Wesleys  and  Mr.  Whitefield  had  never 
appeared,  the  Church  would  have  been  in  as  improved  a 
state  as  now,  with  none  but  the  old  Dissenters  to  contend 
with.  There  is  great  fallacy  in  both  these  views,  which 
merits  to  be  pointed  out. 

When  the  Messrs.  Wesley,  Mr.  Whitefield,  and  their 
early  coadjutors  entered  upon  their  itinerant  career,  it  is 
a  matter  of  fact  and  history,  that  no  general  plans  for  the 
illumination  of  the  nation  were  either  in  operation,  or  in 
the  contemplation  of  any  one.  Nothing  had  this  bearing. 
There  were  no  persons  associated  in  such  institutions  of 
any  kind,  making  this  a  common  object.  The  pious  labours 
of  a  few  zealous  clergymen,  (and  few  they  were,)  and  of 


312 


LIFE  OF  THE 


the  ministers  of  other  denominations,  were  confined  to 
their  own  parishes  and  congregations.  There  were  no 
means  of  general  appUcation  in  existence,  to  remove  the 
ignorance  and  correct  the  vices  which  were  almost  uni- 
versal. The  measures  taken  by  the  founders  of  Methodism 
to  correct  existing  evils  were  on  a  large  scale.  They 
acted  in  concert ;  they  conceived  noble  designs.  They 
visited  the  large  towns ;  they  laboured  in  the  populous 
mining,  manufacturing,  and  commercial  districts ;  they 
preached  in  places  of  public  resort ;  they  formed  religious 
societies,  and  inspired  them  with  zeal  for  the  instruction 
and  salvation  of  their  neighbours  ;  they  employed  men  of 
zeal,  character,  and  competent  acquaintance  with  practi- 
cal  and  experimental  religion,  to  assist  them  in  this  work 
as  it  widened  before  them  ;  and  they  gave  it  their  vigilant 
superintendence.  The  benefits  they  were  the  means  of 
producing  were  not  confined  to  individuals ;  they  influ- 
enced whole  neighbourhoods.  Religious  knowledge  was 
spread,  and  rehgious  influence  exerted.  The  manners  of 
the  rude  were  civilized  ;  barbarous  sports  and  pastimes  fell 
greatly  into  disuse ;  and  a  higher  standard  of  morals  was 
erected,  of  itself  of  no  small  importance  to  the  reformation 
of  manners. 

It  is  a  matter  of  history,  that,  beside  those  means  which 
were  afforded  by  their  personal  labours,  and  by  the  auxili- 
aries they  brought  forward  to  their  assistance,  in  order  to 
revive  and  extend  the  spirit  of  religion  in  the  nation,  for  a 
great  number  of  years  no  other  means  of  extensive  appli- 
cation were  employed  to  promote  this  end.  The  effects 
which  were  thus  produced  began,  liowever,  after  a  consi- 
derable time  had  elapsed,  to  operate  collaterally  as  well  as 
directly.  Many  of  the  clergy  were  aroused,  and  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Articles  and  the  Homilies  began  to  be  heard 
more  distinctly  and  more  frequently  in  their  pulpits.  Holy 
and  zealous  men  in  different  denominations  began  to  laboui 
for  the  public  instruction  and  reformation.  The  institution 
of  Sunday  schools,  though  devised  by  a  Churchman,  was, 
at  first,  but  slowly  encouraged.  The  Methodists  and  Dis- 
senters were  carrying  those  schools  to  a  great  extent  when 
the  members  of  the  Church  followed  :  some  from  a  fear, 
laudable  enough,  lest  the  body  of  the  poor  should  be  alien- 
ated from  the  Establishment ;  others,  as  perceiving  in  the 


REV.  JOHN  WESIEY. 


313 


institution  the  means  of  conveying  instruction  and  religious 
influence  to  those  who  most  needed  them.  The  circula- 
tion of  the  Scriptures  by  Bible  Societies  followed  ;  but  still 
that  was  an  effect  of  the  new  order  of  principles  and  feel- 
ings which  had  been  introduced  into  the  nation.  These 
principles  of  zeal  for  the  moral  improvement  of  society 
farther  led,  at  a  later  period,  to  general  measures  for  the 
education  of  the  poor  by  the  two  great  national  education 
societies,  which  promise  so  much  benefit  to  the  country. 
All  these  efforts  for  enhghtening  and  moralizing  the  people 
may  be  traced  to  several  intermediate  causes ;  but  it  is 
only  justice  to  the  memory  of  such  men  as  the  Wesleys 
and  Whitefield,  men  so  often  flippantly  branded  as  enthu- 
siasts, to  state,  that  they  all  primarily  sprung  from  that 
spirit,  which,  under  God,  they  were  the  means  of  exciting 
in  a  slumbering  Church,  and  in  a  dark  and  neglected  land. 
This  is  a  point  not  to  be  denied ;  for  long  before  any  of 
those  efforts  for  public  instruction  and  reformation  which 
could  be  considered  national  were  called  forth,  those  as: 
persed  men  were  pursuing  their  gigantic  labours  among  the 
profligate  population  of  London,  and  of  the  principal  towns 
of  the  kingdom  ;  among  the  miners  of  Cornwall,  the  col- 
liers of  Kingswood  and  Newcastle,  and  the  manufacturers 
of  Yorkshire  and  Lancashire;  whilst  the  preachers  they 
employed  were  eveiy  year  spreading  themselves  into  dark, 
semi-barbarous  villages  in  the  most  secluded  parts  of  the 
kingdom  ;  enduring  bitter  privations,  and  encountering, 
almost  daily,  the  insults  of  rude  mobs,  that  they  might 
convey  to  them  the  knowledge  of  religion. 

Now,  in  order  to  judge  of  these  efforts,  and  to  ascertain 
what  "  evil"  has  resulted  to  the  Church  of  England  from 
Mr.  Wesley's  measures,  it  is  but  fair  to  consider  what  the 
state  of  the  country  and  of  the  Church  must  in  all  human 
probability  have  been,  had  he  and  his  associates  never 
appeared,  or  confined  themselves  to  the  obscurity  of  Ep- 
worth  and  similar  parishes.  It  is  not  denied  that  other 
means  and  agents  might  have  been  raised  up  by  God  to 
effect  the  purposes  of  his  mercy  ;  but  it  is  denied  that  any 
such  were  raised  up, — for  this  is  matter  of  fact.  No  agency 
has  appeared  in  the  Church,  or  out  of  it,  tending  to  the 
general  instruction  and  evangelizing  of  the  nation,  and 
operating  on  a  large  scale,  which  is  not  much  subsequen* 


014 


LIFE   OF  THE 


in  its  origin  to  the  exertions  of  the  Messrs.  Wesley  and 
Whitefield ;  and  which  may  not  be  traced  to  the  spirit  which 
they  excited,  and  often  into  the  very  bosoms  of  those  who 
derived  their  first  light  and  influence,  either  directly  or 
indirectl}^,  from  them.  What  was  and  not  what  might 
have  been,  can  only  be  made  the  ground  of  argument. 

But  for  their  labours,  therefore,  and  the  labours  of  those 
persons  in  the  Church,  among  the  Dissenters,  and  their 
own  people,  whom  they  imbued  with  the  same  spirit,  that 
state  of  things  in  the  Church  of  England,  and  in  the  coun- 
ti-y  at  large,  which  has  been  already  described,  must  have 
continued,  at  least,  for  many  years,  for  any  thing  which 
appears  to  the  contrary  ; — for  no  substitute  for  their  exer- 
Ijons  was  supplied  by  any  party.  They  took  the  place  of 
none  M  ho  were  exerting  themselves  :  they  opposed  no 
obstacle  to  the  operation  of  any  plan  of  usefulness,  had  it 
been  in  preparation.  If  they  therefore  had  not  appeared, 
and  kindled  that  flame  of  religious  feeling  which  ultimately 
spread  into  many  denominations  of  Christians,  and  thus 
gave  birth  to  that  variety  of  effort  which  now  diffuses  itself 
through  the  land,  it  is  a  very  erroneous  conclusion  to  sup- 
pose, that  a  later  period  would  have  found  the  nation  and 
the  Church  at  all  improved.  The  probabilit)'^,  almost 
amounting  to  certainty,  is,  that  both  Avould  have  been 
found  still  more  deteriorated,  and  in  a  state  which  would 
have  presented  obstacles  much  more  formidable  to  their 
recovery.  For  all  who  have  given  attention  to  such  sub- 
jects must  know,  that  a  number  of  those  demoralizing 
causes  were  then  coming  into  operation,  which,  with  all 
the  counteractions  since  supplied  by  the  Church,  and  the 
different  religious  sects,  by  schools,  and  by  Bibles,  have 
produced  very  injurious  effects  upon  the  morals  and  prin- 
ciples of  the  nation ; — that  the  tide  of  an  unprecedented 
commercial  prosperity  began  then  to  flow  into  the  country, 
and  continued,  for  a  long  succession  of  years,  to  render 
the  means  of  sensual  indulgence  more  ample,  and  to  cor- 
rupt more  deeply  all  ranks  of  society ; — that  in  conse- 
quence of  the  independence  thus  given  to  the  lower  orders 
in  many  of  the  most  populous  districts,  the  moral  control 
and  influence  of  the  higher  became  gradually  weaker ; — 
that  the  agitation  of  political  subjects,  during  the  American 
quarrel  and  the  French  revolution,  with  the  part  which 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


315 


even  the  operative  classes  were  able  to  take  in  such  dis- 
cussions by  means  of  an  extended  education,  produced,  as 
will  always  be  the  case  among  the  half-informed,  a  strong 
tendency  to  repubUcanism,  a  restless  desire  of  political 
change  on  every  pinching  of  the  times,  and  its  constant 
concomitant,  an  aversion  to  the  National  Establishment, 
partly  as  the  result  of  ill-digested  theories,  and  partly 
because  this  feeling  was  encouraged  by  the  negligent 
habits  of  many  of  the  clergy,  and  the  absence  of  that  influ- 
ence which  they  might  have  acquired  in  their  parishes  by 
careful  pastoral  attentions.  To  all  this  is  to  be  added  the 
diffusion  of  infidel  principles,  both  of  foreign  and  home 
growth,  which,  from  the  studies  of  the  learned,  descended 
into  the  shop  of  the  mechanic,  and,  embodied  in  cheap  and 
popular  works,  found  their  way  into  every  part  of  the  em- 
pire. To  counteract  agencies  and  principles  so  active 
and  so  pernicious,  it  is  granted  that  no  means  have  yet 
been  applied  of  complete  adequacy.  This  is  the  reason 
why  their  effects  are  so  rife  in  the  present  day,  and  that 
we  are  now  in  the  midst  of  a  state  of  things  which  no  con- 
siderate man  can  contemplate  without  some  anxiety. — 
These  circumstances,  so  devastating  to  morals  and  good 
principles,  could  only  have  been  fully  neutralized  by  the 
ardent  exertions  of  every  clergyman  in  his  parish,  of  every 
dissenting  minister  in  his  congregation,  of  every  Methodist 
preacher  in  his  circuit,  of  every  private  Christian  in  his 
own  circle,  or  in  the  place  which  useful  and  pious  institu- 
tions of  various  kinds  would  have  assigned  him  ;  and  even 
then  the  special  blessing  of  God  would  have  been  neces- 
sary to  give  effect  to  the  whole.  But  had  no  correctives 
been  applied,  what  had  been  the  present  state  of  the 
nation  and  of  the  Church  ?  The  labours  of  the  founders  of 
Methodism  were,  from  the  beginning,  directly  counteractive 
of  the  evils  just  mentioned ;  and  those  have  Uttle  reason 
to  stigmatize  them  who  deplore  such  evils  most,  and  yet 
have  done  least  for  their  correction  and  restraint.  Where- 
ever  these  men  went,  they  planted  the  principles  of  religion 
in  the  minds  of  the  multitudes  who  heard  them ;  they  acted 
on  the  offensive  against  immorality,  infidelity,  and  error ; 
the  societies  they  raised  were  employed  in  doing  good  to 
all ;  the  persons  they  associated  with  them  in  the  work  of 
national  reformation  were  always  engaged  in  diffusing 


316 


Lint  Of  THE 


piety;  and  though  great  multitudes  were  beyond  their 

reach,  they  spread  themselves  into  every  part  of  the  land, 
turning  the  attention  of  men  to  religious  concerns,  calm- 
ing  their  passions,  guarding  them  against  the  strifes  of  the 
world,  enjoining  the  Scriptural  principles  of  "  obedience  to 
magistrates,"  and  a  sober,  temperate,  peaceable,  and  bene- 
volent  conduct.  The  direct  effect  of  their  exertions  was 
great ;  and  it  increased  in  energy  and  extent  as  the  demo- 
rahzing  causes  before  mentioned  acquired  also  greater  acti- 
vity;  and  when  their  indirect  influence  began  to  appear  more 
fully  in  the  National  Church,  and  in  other  religious  bodies, 
remedies  more  commensurate  with  the  evils  existing  in 
the  country  began  to  be  applied.  I  shall  not  affect  to  say 
what  would  have  been  the  state  of  the  Church  of  England 
under  the  uncontrolled  operation  of  all  the  causes  of  moral 
deterioration,  and  civil  strife,  to  which  I  have  adverted ; 
or  what  hold  that  Church  would  have  had  upon  the  people 
at  this  day,  if  the  spirit  of  religion  had  not  been  revived  in 
the  country,  and  if,  when  ancient  prejudices  were  destroyed 
or  weakened  by  the  general  spread  of  information  among 
men,  no  new  bond  between  it  and  the  nation  at  large  had 
been  created.  But  if,  as  I  am  happy  to  believe,  the 
National  Church  has  much  more  influence  and  much  more 
respect  now  than  formerly ;  and  if  its  influence  and  the 
respect  due  to  it  are  increasing  with  the  increase  of  its 
evangelical  clergy,  all  this  is  owing  to  the  existence  of  a 
stronger  spirit  of  piety ;  and  in  producing  that,  the  first 
great  instruments  were  the  men  whose  labours  have  been 
mentioned  in  the  preceding  pages.  Not  only  has  the 
spirit  which  they  excited  improved  the  religious  state  of 
the  Church,  but  it  has  disposed  the  great  body  of  religious 
people,  not  of  the  Church,  to  admire  and  respect  those 
numerous  members  of  the  Establishment,  both  clergymen 
and  laics,  whose  eminent  piety,  talents,  and  usefulness, 
have  done  more  to  abate  the  prejudices  arising  from  differ- 
ent views  of  Church  government,  than  a  thousand  treatises 
could  have  effected,  however  eloquently  written,  or  ably 
argued. 

It  may  also  be  asked.  Who  are  the  persons  whom  the 
Methodists  have  alienated  from  the  Church  ?  In  this  too, 
the  Church  writers  have  laboured  under  great  mistakes. 
They  have  "aUenated"  those,  for  the  most  part,  who  never 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEV. 


317 


were,  in  any  substantial  sense,  and  never  would  have  been, 
of  the  Church.  Very  few  of  her  pious  members  have  at 
any  time  been  separated  from  her  communion  by  a  con- 
nection with  us ;  and  many  who  became  serious  through 
the  Methodist  ministry,  continued  attendants  on  her  ser- 
vices,  and  observers  of  her  sacraments.  This  was  the 
case  during  the  life  of  Mr.  Wesley,  and  in  many  instances 
is  so  still ;  and  when  an  actual  separation  of  a  few  persons 
has  occurred,  it  has  been  much  more  than  compensated 
by  a  return  of  others  from  us  to  the  Church,  especially  of 
opulent. persons,  or  their  children,  in  consequence  of  that 
superior  influence  which  an  established  Church  must  always 
exert  upon  people  of  that  class.  For  the  rest,  they  have 
been  brought  chiefly  from  the  ranks  of  the  ignorant  and 
the  careless ;  persons  who  had  little  knowledge,  and  no 
experience  of  the  power  of  religion  ;  negligent  of  rehgioua 
worship  of  every  kind,  and  many  of  whom,  but  for  the 
agency  of  Methodism,  would  have  swelled  the  ranks  of 
those  who  are  equally  disaffected  to  Church  and  state.  If 
such  persons  are  not  now  Churchmen,  they  are  influ. 
enced  by  no  feelings  hostile  to  the  institutions  of  their 
country. 

Such  considerations  may  tend  to  convey  more  sober 
views  on  a  subject  often  taken  up  in  heat : — that  they  will 
quite  disarm  the  feeling  against  which  they  are  levelled  is 
more  than  can  be  hoped  for,  considering  the  effects  of 
party  spirit,  and  the  many  forms  of  virtue  which  it  simu  • 
latea#  However,  it  is  nothing  new  for  the  Methodists  to 
endure  reproach,  and  to  be  subject  to  misrepresentations. 
Perhaps  something  of  an  exclusive  spirit  may  have  grown 
up  amongst  us  in  consequence ;  but,  if  so,  it  has  this  pal- 
liation,  that  we  are  quite  as  expansive  as  the  circumstances 
in  which  we  have  ever  been  placed  could  lead  any  reason- 
able man  to  anticipate.  It  might  almost  be  said  of  us,  "Lo, 
the  people  shall  dwell  alone."  The  high  Churchman  has 
persecuted  us  because  we  are  separatists  ;  the  high  Dis- 
senter has  often  looked  upon  us  with  hostility,  because  we 
would  not  see  that  an  establishment  necessarily,  and  in  se, 
[in  itself,]  involved  a  sin  against  the  supremacy  of  Christ ; 
the  rigid  Calvinist  has  disliked  us  because  we  hold  the 
redemption  of  all  men ;  the  Pelagianized  Arminian,  because 
we  contend  for  ealvation  by  grace;  the  Antinomian,  be- 
27* 


318 


LIFE  OF  THE 


cause  we  insist  upon  the  perpetual  obligation  of  the  moral 
law  ;  the  moralist,  because  we  exalt  faith  ;  the  disaffected, 
because  we  hold  that  loyalty  and  religion  are  inseparable : 
the  political  tory,  because  he  cannot  think  that  separatists 
from  the  Church  can  be  loyal  to  the  throne ;  the  philoso- 
pher,  because  he  deems  us  fanatics ;  whilst  semi-infidel 
liberals  generally  exclude  us  from  all  share  in  their  libe- 
rality,  except  it  be  in  their  liberality  of  abuse.  In  the  mean- 
time,  we  have  occasionally  been  favoured  with  a  smile, 
though  somewhat  of  a  condescending  one,  from  the  lofty 
Churchman ;  and  often  with  a  fraternal  embrace  from  pious 
and  liberal  Dissenters  :  and  if  we  act  upon  the  principles 
left  us  by  our  great  founder,  we  shall  make  a  meek  and 
lowly  temper  an  essential  part  of  our  religion  :  and,  after 
his  example,  move  onward  in  the  path  of  doing  good, 
through  "  honour  and  dishonour,  through  evil  report  and 
good  report,"  remembering  that  one  fundamental  principle 
of  Wesleyan  Methodism  is  anti-sectarianism  and  a 

CATHOLIC  SPIRIT. 

To  return,  however,  to  Mr.  Wesley  :  Among  the  cen- 
sures  which  have  been  frequently  directed  against  him,  are 
his  alleged  love  of  power,  and  his  creduhty.  The  first  ia 
a  vice  ;  the  second  but  a  weakness  ;  and  they  stand  there- 
fore upon  different  grounds. 

As  to  the  love  of  power,  it  may  be  granted  that,  like 
many  minds  who  seem  born  to  direct,  he  desired  to  acquire 
influence ;  and,  when  he  attained  it,  he  employed  his  one 
talent  so  as  to  make  it  gain  more  talents.  If  he  hacjjpved 
power  for  its  own  sake,  or  to  minister  to  selfish  pui-poses, 
or  to  injure  others,  this  would  have  been  a  great  blemish ; 
but  he  sacrificed  no  principle  of  his  own,  and  no  interest 
or  right  of  others,  for  its  gratification.  He  gained  power, 
as  all  great  and  good  men  gain  it,  by  the  very  greatness 
and  goodness  with  which  they  are  endowed,  and  of  which 
others  are  always  more  sensible  than  themselves.  It 
devolved  upon  him  without  any  contrivance  ;  and  when  he 
knew  he  possessed  it,  no  instance  is  on  record  of  his  hav- 
ing abused  it.  This  is  surely  virtue,  not  vice,  and  virtue 
of  the  highest  order.  The  only  proof  attempted  to  be  given 
that  he  loved  power,  is,  that  he  never  devolved  his  authority 
over  the  societies  upon  others ;  but  this  is  capable  of  an 
easy  explanation.    He  could  not  have  shared  his  power 


RE1'.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


319 


among  many,  without  drawing  up  a  formal  const  itution  of 
Church  government  for  his  societies,  which  would  have 
amounted  to  a  formal  separation  from  the  Church  ;  and  it 
would  have  been  an  insane  action  had  he  devolved  it  upon 
one,  and  placed  himself,  and  the  work  he  had  effected, 
under  the  management  of  any  individual  to  whom  his 
societies  could  not  stand  in  the  same  filial  relation  as  to 
himself.  He,  however,  exercised  his  influence  by  aid  of 
the  counsel  of  others ;  and  allowed  the  free  discussion  of 
all  prudential  matters  in  the  conference.  Had  he  been 
armed  with  legal  power  to  inflict  pains  and  penalties,  he 
ought  to  have  distrusted  himself,  as  every  wise  and  good 
man  would  do,  and  to  have  voluntarily  put  himself  beyond 
the  reach  of  temptation  to  abuse  what  mere  man,  without 
check,  can  seldom  use  aright.  This  I  grant  ;  but  tha 
control  to  which  he  was  subject  was,  that  the  union  of  his 
societies  with  him  was  perfectly  voluntary,  so  that  over 
them  he  could  have  no  influence  at  all  but  what  was 
founded  upon  character,  and  public  spirit,  and  fatherly 
affection.  The  power  which  he  exercised  has  descended 
to  the  conference  of  preachers ;  and,  as  in  his  case,  this 
has  been  often  very  absurdly  complained  of,  as  though  it 
were  parallel  to  the  power  of  civil  government,  or  to  that 
of  an  established  Church,  supported  by  statutes  and  the  civil 
arm.  But  this  power,  like  his,  is  moral  influence  only, 
founded  upon  the  pastoral  character,  and  can  exist  only 
upon  the  basis  of  the  confidence  inspired  by  the  fact  of  its 
generally  just  and  salutary  exercise  among  a  people  who 
neither  are  nor  can  be  under  any  compulsion.* 

On  the  charge  of  credulity,  it  may  be  obsencd,  that 
Mr.  Wesley  lived  in  an  age  in  which  he  thought  men  in 
danger  of  believing  too  little,  rather  than  too  much,  and 
his  belief  in  apparitions  is  at  least  no  proof  of  a  credulous- 
ness  peculiar  to  himself.  With  respect  to  the  "  strange 
accounts"  which  he  inserted  in  his  Magazine,  and  strange 
indeed  some  of  them  were,  it  has  been  falsely  assumed 

[*  This  topic  is  one  on  which  the  culuniniators  of  Methodism  in 
America  also  have  often  iiarped.  The  just  and  obvious  view  of  it 
so  forcibly  exhibited  above  by  Mr.  Watson,  has  b3en  repeatedly  pre- 
sented too,  in  answer  to  the  croakers  in  this  country.  It  is  one 
which  can  neither  be  misapprehended  nor  resisted,  except  by  sheer 
ignorance,  or  by  an  invincible  determination  to  persist  in  calumny 
for  its  own  sake. — American  Edit.] 


320 


LIFE  OF  THE 


that  he  himself  believed  them  entirely.  This  is  not  true. 
He  frequently  remarks,  that  he  gives  no  opinion,  or  that 
"  he  knows  not  what  to  make  of  the  account,"  or  that  "  he 
leaves  every  one  to  form  his  own  judgment  concerning  it." 
He  met  with  those  relations  in  reading,  or  received  them 
from  persons  deemed  by  him  credible,  and  he  put  them  on 
record  as  facts  reported  to  have  happened.  Now  as  to  an 
imbeliever,  one  sees  not  what  sound  objection  he  can  make 
to  that  being  recorded  which  has  commanded  the  faith  of 
others  ;  for  as  a  part  of  the  history  of  human  opinions,  such 
accounts  are  curious,  and  have  their  use.  It  neither  fol- 
lowed, that  the  editor  of  the  work  believed  every  account, 
nor  that  his  readers  should  consider  it  true  because  it  was 
printed.  It  was  for  them  to  judge  of  the  evidence  on  ■which 
the  relation  stood.  Many  of  these  accounts,  however,  Mr. 
Wesley  did  credit,  because  he  thought  that  they  stood  on 
credible  testimony ;  and  he  published  them  for  that  very 
purpose,  for  which  he  believed  they  were  permitted  to  occur, 
— to  confirm  the  faith  of  men  in  an  invisible  state,  and  in 
the  immortality  of  the  soul.  These  were  his  motives  for 
inserting  such  articles  in  his  Magazine  ;  and  to  the  censure 
which  has  been  passed  upon  him  on  this  account,  may  be 
opposed  the  words  of  the  learned  Dr.  Henry  More,  in  his 
Letter  to  Glanville,  the  author  of  "  Sadducismits  Trium- 
phatus  c''  [Sadducism  triumphed  over:]  "  Wherefore  let 
the  small  philosophic  Sir  Toplings  of  this  present  age 
deride  as  much  as  they  will,  those  that  lay  out  their  pftina 
in  committing  to  writing  certain  well-attested  stories  of 
apparitions,  do  real  service  to  true  religion  and  sound  phi- 
losophy ;  and  they  most  effectually  contribute  to  the  con- 
founding of  infidelity  and  Atheism,  even  in  the  judgment 
of  the  Atheists  tlieniselves,  who  are  as  much  afraid  of  the 
truth  of  these  stories  as  an  ape  is  of  a  whip,  and  therefore 
force  themselves  with  might  and  main  to  disbelieve  them, 
by  reason  of  the  dreadful  consequence  of  them,  as  to  them- 
selves." It  is  sensibly  observed  by  Jortin,  in  his  remarks 
on  the  diabolical  possessions  in  the  age  of  our  Lord,  that 
"  one  reason  for  which  Divine  Providence  should  suffer 
evil  spirits  to  exert  their  malignant  powers  at  that  time, 
might  be  to  give  a  check  to  Sadducism  among  the  Jews, 
and  Atheism  among  the  Gentiles,  and  to  remove  in  some 
measure  these  two  great  impediments  to  the  reception  of 


REV.  JOHN  WESLEV. 


821 


the  Gospel."  For  moral  uses,  supernatural  visitations 
may  have  been  allowed  in  subsequent  ages ;  and  he  who 
believes  in  them,  only  spreads  their  moral  the  farther  by 
giving  them  publicity.  Before  such  a  person  can  be  fairly 
censured,  the  ground  of  his  faith  ought  to  be  disproved, 
for  he  only  acts  consistently  with  that  faith.  This  task 
would,  however,  prove  somewhat  difficult. 

Mr.  Wesley  was  a  voluminous  writer ;  and  as  he  was 
one  of  the  great  instruments  in  reviving  the  spirit  of  reli- 
gion  in  these  lands,  so  he  led  the  way  in  those  praiseworthy 
attempts  wliich  have  been  made  to  diffuse  useful  informa- 
tion  of  every  kind,  and  to  smooth  the  path  of  knowledge 
to  the  middle  and  lower  ranks  of  society.  Beside  books 
on  religious  subjects,  he  published  many  small  and  cheap 
treatises  on  various  branches  of  science  ;  plain  and  excel- 
lent grammars  of  the  dead  languages  ;  expurgated  editions 
of  the  classic  authors  ;  histories,  civil  and  ecclesiastical ; 
and  numerous  abridgments  of  important  works.* 

It  is  his  especial  praise,  that  he  took  an  early  part  in 
denouncing  the  iniquities  of  the  African  slave  trade,  and 
in  arousing  the  conscience  of  the  nation  on  the  subject. 
In  Bristol,  at  that  time  a  dark  den  of  slave  traders,  he 
courageously  preached  openly  against  it,  defying  the  rage 
of  the  slave  merchants  and  the  mob ;  and  his  spirited  and 
ably  reasoned  tract  on  slavery  continues  to  be  admired 
and  quoted  to  the  present  time.    It  may  be  added,  that 

*  Mr.  Wesley's  principal  writings  are,  his  Translation  of  the  New 
Testament,  with  Explanatory  Notes,  quarto ;  his  Journals,  6  vols., 
duodecimo  ;  his  Sermons,  9  volumes,  duodecimo  ;  his  Appeal  to  Men 
of  Reason  and  Religion  ;  his  defence  of  the  Doctrine  of  Original 
Sin,  in  Answer  to  Dr.  Taylor  ;  his  answers  to  Mr.  Church,  and  Bi. 
ehops  Lavington  and  Warburton  ;  and  his  Predestination  Calmly 
Considered,  beside  many  smaller  tracts  on  various  important  sub. 
jccts.  His  works  were  published  by  himself  in  thirty-two  volumes, 
duodecimo,  in  tlio  year  1771.  An  edition  of  them  in  fourteen  large 
octavo  volumes  has  just  been  completed  ;  witli  his  work  on  the  New 
Testament  in  two  volumes  of  the  same  size.  In  addition  to  his 
original  compositions,  Mr.  Wesley  published  upward  of  a  hundred 
and  twenty  different  works,  mostly  abridged  from  other  authors; 
among  which  are  grammars  in  five  different  languages  ;  the  Chris, 
tian  Library,  in  fifty  duodecimo  volumes ;  thirteen  volumes  of  the 
Arminiin  Magazine  ;  a  History  of  England,  and  a  general  Eccle. 
siastical  History,  in  four  volumes  each  ;  a  Compendium  of  Natural 
Philosophy,  in  five  volumes ;  and  an  Exposition  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, in  three  quarto  volumes. 


822 


IIFE  OF  THE 


one  of  the  last  letters  he  ever  wrote  was  to  Mr.  Wilber- 
force,  exhorting  him  to  perseverance  in  a  work,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  leading  instruments, — the  effecting  the 
abolition  of  the  traffic  in  the  nerves  and  blood  of  man. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Wesley's  death,  the  number  of  mem- 
bers  in  connection  with  him  in  Europe,  America,  and  the 
West  India  Islands,  was  80,000.  At  the  last  conference, 
1830,  the  numbers  returned  were,  in  Great  Britain  249,278 ; 
in  Ireland  22,897  ;  in  the  foreign  missions  41,186  ;  total 
313,360,  exclusive  of  near  half  a  million  of  persons  in  the 
societies  in  the  states  of  America.  As  to  the  field  of  la- 
bour at  home,  the  number  of  circuits  in  the  United  King- 
dom, was,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  115.  At  present  they 
are  399.  The  number  of  mission  stations  was  8  in  the 
West  Indies,  and  8  in  British  America :  at  present  there 
are  150.  The  number  of  preachers  left  by  him  was  312. 
It  is  now  993,  in  the  United  Kingdom  ;  and  193  in  the 
foreign  missions.  In  the  United  States  of  America  the 
number  of  preachers  is  about  2000. 

Such  have  been  the  results  of  the  labours  of  this  great 
and  good  man.  Whether  they  are  still  to  diffuse  a  hal. 
lowing  influence  through  the  country,  and  convey  the  bles- 
sings  of  Christianity  to  heathen  lands  with  the  same  rapidity 
and  with  the  same  vigour,  will,  under  the  Divine  blessing, 
depend  upon  those  who  have  received  from  him  the  trust 
of  a  system  of  reUgious  agency,  to  be  employed  with  the 
same  singleness  of  heart,  the  same  benevolent  zeal  for  the 
spiritual  benefit  of  mankind,  and  the  same  dependence 
upon  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  know  not  that  it  bears  upon  it 
any  marks  of  decay,  although  it  may  require  to  be  accom- 
modated in  a  few  particulars  to  the  new  circumstances 
with  which  it  is  surrounded.  The  doctrinal  views  which 
Mr.  Wesley  held,  were  probably  never  better  understood, 
or  more  accurately  stated  in  the  discourses  of  the  preach- 
ers ;  and  the  moral  discipline  of  the  body,  in  all  its  essen- 
tial  parts,  was  never  more  cordially  approved  by  the  people 
generally,  or  enforced  with  greater  faithfulness  by  their 
pastors.  Very  numerous  are  the  converts  who  are  every 
year  won  from  the  world,  brought  under  religious  influence, 
and  placed  in  the  enjoyment  of  means  and  ordinances 
favourable  to  their  growth  in  religious  knowledge  and  holy 
habits  ;  and  many  are  constantly  passing  into  eternity,  of 


REV.  JOHN  WBSLET. 


823 


whose  "  good  hope  through  grace,"  the  testimony  is  in  the 
highest  degree  satisfactory.  If  Methodism  continue  in 
vigour  and  purity  to  future  ages,  it  will  still  be  associated 
with  the  name  of  its  founder,  and  encircle  his  memory 
with  increasing  lustre ;  and  if  it  should  fall  into  the  for- 
mality and  decays  which  have  proved  the  lot  of  many  other 
religious  bodies,  he  will  not  lose  his  reward.  Still  a  glo- 
rious harvest  of  saved  souls  is  laid  up  in  the  heavenly  gar- 
ner, which  will  be  his  "  rejoicing  in  the  day  of  the  Lord  ;" 
whilst  the  indirect  influence  of  his  labours  upon  the  other 
religious  bodies  and  institutions  of  the  country  will  justly 
entitle  him  to  be  considered  as  one  of  the  most  honoured 
instruments  of  reviving  and  extending  the  influence  of  re- 
ligion that,  since  the  time  of  the  apostles,  have  been  raised 
up  by  the  providence  of  God. 


THE  END. 


Date  Due 


n  17  "38 

